Election 2 - The Price Of Peace

Oct

5

Election 2 - The Price Of Peace

≡ Category: Category III, Drama, Highly Recommended, Hong Kong, Movie Reviews By Country |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

Country: Hong Kong
Genre: Drama/ Category III
Director: Johnny To
Year: 2006

Rating:

TRASH CINEMA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED MOVIE

Election 2 is one of the strongest movies made yet in the modern Hong Kong style, which director Johnny To virtually invented. In modern Hong Kong movies, the acting style is typically minimalistic, the camera setups are elegant, and graphic violence is deemphasized. In lesser hands, this can be a bore, but Election 2, in addition to being as formally rigorous as any cinema anywhere in the world, also packs a metaphysical wallop.

During the credit sequence, a man addresses members of the Wo Shung triad society, explaining the need for triads in general, and the election of a chairman every two years, in particular. In their wisdom, the founding fathers of the Wo Shung society realized that human nature being what it is, if left to their own devices, Chinese emigrants scrambling to make a living in Hong Kong would constantly be at each other’s throats, attracting the attention of law enforcement and preventing the general advancement of the Wo Shung society’s members. So, these founding fathers instituted rules and rituals, along with a bi-annual election, to stifle the animalistic impulses of its members.

The man speaking turns out to be Mr Xi (You Yong), a muckety muck in Communist China’s security forces, as well as a high ranking member of the Wo Shung society.

As our story opens, Jimmy Lee (Louis Koo) is putting the finishing touches on a business deal to develop a conference center in China. He is doing his best to go legitimate and turn his back on the Wo Shung society, which he joined solely for protection. Jimmy has big dreams. He wants his kids to be doctors or lawyers, instead of scuffling to make a buck, the way he did.

Jimmy certainly has no interest in running for the Chairman election, but when he’s arrested in China for bribing an official, Mr. Xi informs Jimmy that his conference center is dead in the water. That is unless Jimmy can manage to become Chairman. You see, the Chairmanship pulls a lot of weight. So now, Jimmy feels like he has no choice but to run for Chairman.

Jimmy’s main rival is Lok (Simon Yam), the current Chairman, who wants a second term in defiance of tradition. Lok is sneaky, promising his lieutenants that he will give the Chairmanship to them, if only they will help get Jimmy out of the way. So begins a war of nerves.

I’ve made Election 2 sound like a chess game for life and death stakes, but it’s actually more interesting than that. As the moves by Lok and Jimmy escalate in brutality, we ask ourselves, “What is Jimmy willing to do?” After all, he’s a businessman, not a gangster. At least that’s what he keeps saying.

There’s plenty of violence in Election 2, but director Johnny To shoots it from a middle distance, or in deep shadow, or even allows it to take place out of the frame or off screen. He also frequently allows music to play over the soundtrack so that we don’t hear the screams of terror and pain. These distancing tactics force the viewer to absorb the philosophical implications of the violence, rather than thrill to the butchery. To is clearly bored with the aesthetics of violence, and has no interest in egging on his audience.

As it turns out, something deeper is going on. The powerful climax of Election 2 is unique, in that it shows that truly great power masks itself in social formality and doesn’t need to exercise force to get it’s way. Even better, the ending turns the whole notion of winning and losing on it’s head.

Simon Yam, as he did in Election, gives a wonderfully devious performance. As an actor, Louis Koo plays his cards close to the vest. He’s almost impenetrable. It’s tempting to write this off as bad acting, but in the end, his facade cracks as his world crumbles. You Yong is also very fine as Mr. Xi. His scene with Louis Koo, in which he informs him about a change in the traditions of the Wo Shing society, is one of the best of the year. I also liked Gordon Lam as the hotheaded Kun, who also wants to be Chairman, and Mark Cheng as an assassin named Bo, who keeps complaining he isn’t being payed enough. He’s right.

To be fair, I also have to give a lot of credit for the success of Election 2 to writers Yau Nai-Hoi and Yip Tin-Shing, frequent collaborators with Johnny To. Structurally, the script is damned near perfect.

Note: goodness knows why the Hong Kong censors gave Election 2 a Category III rating. Most of the violence is implied.