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MOVIES / ON DVD / ELECTION
Election

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Election (2005)

86%
63%
84%
N/A
N/A
N/A
86 %
Reviews Counted: 22 Fresh: 19  Rotten:3 Average Rating: 6.8/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: 18

Runtime: 89 mins

Theatrical Release: 09-06-2006

Synopsis: The drama-thriller ELECTION centers on the power struggles within Hong Kong's organized crime culture. Every two years, the Wo Shing society, the oldest and most powerful triad in Hong Kong, has to appoint a new leader. As Lok (Simon Yam) looks set to win the election, his violent rival Big D... The drama-thriller ELECTION centers on the power struggles within Hong Kong's organized crime culture. Every two years, the Wo Shing society, the oldest and most powerful triad in Hong Kong, has to appoint a new leader. As Lok (Simon Yam) looks set to win the election, his violent rival Big D (Tony Leung Kar-Fai) will stop at nothing to influence the voting process. When the Dragon's Head Baton, the society's symbol of leadership, is stolen, a merciless battle for power begins [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Simon Yam, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung

Director: Johnny To

DVD Info

Release:

Jun 11, 2007

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - Cantonese, Mandarin
  • DTS Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - Cantonese, Mandarin
  • Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
  • 2. Tartan Asia Extreme New Releases

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image
2/5

It's a thrilling premise. What a shame, then, that Election can't get the basics right.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/28/06
David Mattin
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
2/5

We are plunged into this dispute, but with insufficient time to get to know any of these players, they never fully come to life.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/28/06
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

Even the violence is unexpectedly unexpected, eschewing the usual cathartic frenzy of bloody chopsocky and arcade-game gunplay in favour of calmly viewed and human-scaled acts of brutality.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/28/06
Wally Hammond
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3.5/5

May feel a little aloof and dry, not to mention confusing, but there's a solid resonance within the story.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/06
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
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N/A

The film's main drive involves plotting and scheming rather than outright violence, though -- unlike the sequel -- the basic good guy-bad guy conflict is pretty standard.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/03/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
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N/A

Some real genius and understated power . . . transcends its genre and turns the venally criminal into the profoundly human.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/19/07
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
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4/5

Not To's greatest film, but an interesting examination of the inner workings of Hong Kong's triad gangs.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/30/07
Mike Bracken
Mike Bracken's Horror Films
Ratings Image
3/4

The film's violence erupts in rare, staccato bursts, all the more horrifying for coming out of nowhere.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/24/07
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Ratings Image
2.5/4

Election feels routine at times, though less formulaic than other genre exercises from Hong Kong. The depiction of crime customs is sociologically detailed.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/13/07
Bill Stamets
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3/4

[Director To's] talent for documentary-style realism and navigating complex political systems sets him apart, though his nationalism puts him squarely in the mainstream.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/12/07
Robert K. Elder
Chicago Tribune
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N/A

Dense, demanding concentration, lacking any romantic (but plenty of sordid) violence, extremely involving and rewarding of careful attention.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/21/07
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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3.5/5

Ultimately, Election and Triad Election -- which benefit from being seen back to back -- play like a mature reevaluation of [Johnnie] To's long-standing talent for splashy, eye-popping violence.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/08/07
Robert Abele
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

Reveals [director] To as a master of lean, close-quarters action.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/07/07
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly
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3/4

Nobody familiar with [director] To will be surprised by the way he presents stylish violence in innovative and humorous ways.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/27/07
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
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3.5/5

has more hits than misses

Full Review | comment Comment
04/26/07
Don Willmott
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image
3/4

There is social commentary to be sure, but there are also some solid action thrills.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/25/07
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
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4/5

Election, the first installment in Johnnie To's two-film Hong Kong gangland serial, is a densely plotted, pulpy procedural.

comment Comment
04/25/07
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

Unlike the American crime genre, violence is viewed only as the last resort. In both films, there is a subtle suggestion that the children of the chairmen may pay the highest price for the criminal ascendancy of their fathers.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/18/07
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
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3/5

To’s double shot is a landmark work for HK cinema.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/28/06
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY
Ratings Image
N/A

It's easy to see why a sequel was quickly cranked out.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/13/06
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
Johnnie To's ELECTION is just the first half of a dynamite gangster double-feature!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/2


REEL_REVIEWER
Johnnie To's ELECTION is just the first half of a dynamite gangster double-feature!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/2


REEL_REVIEWER
Johnnie To's ELECTION is just the first half of a dynamite gangster double-feature!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/2


REEL_REVIEWER
Johnnie To's ELECTION is just the first half of a dynamite gangster double-feature!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/2


REEL_REVIEWER
(NYFF)-Johnnie To's TRIAD ELECTION to screen @ the 44th New York Film Festival!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/29/07
all

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