Big
D is the Al Gore of the Triads. He assumed he was next in line for the two-year
chairmanship of the Wo Shing Society, but the Uncles elected Lok instead. So,
does he accept the results of the voting and concentrate on his own business?
No, of course not. The resulting power struggle escalates into full-scale
street violence in Johnnie To’s modern classic Election (trailer
here),
which screens during the 2017 New York Asian Film Festival.
Frankly,
Lok appears to be the more forward-thinking of the two candidates, whereas Big
D can fly off the handle a wee bit. Slightly disappointed by the election results,
Big D lashes out at two swing-voters he holds responsible. In response, the
outgoing chairman dispatches his lieutenants to China with the Dagon Baton,
which is ceremoniously handed down to each new chairman. Thus, begins a mad
scramble between the two factions for strategic possession of the baton.
However, most of the plotting will be done within prison after Chief
Superintendent Hui has both candidates and several senior uncles arrested, in
hopes of preventing open war.
This
is the film that will probably always come up first when you google Johnnie To—and
for good reason. For many, it was also their gateway drug into a full-on Hong
Kong cinema addiction. It is a lean, mean, snarling machine of a film, but
there is also something strangely beautiful about its savage austerity.
Both
Simon Yam and “Big” Tony Leung Ka-fai give classic, career-defining
performances as the diametrically-opposed Lok and Big D, respectively. There
scenes together are pure movie magic—those who have seen it will instantly know
what I mean.
They
are indeed the bosses of bosses, but Election
is fully loaded with first-rate supporting turns. Lam Suet and Gordon Lam
are terrific as Big Head and Kun, two henchmen initially on opposite sides of
the factional divide, who meet rather awkwardly. It is amazing to see
superstars like Louis Koo and Nick Cheung getting relatively limited
screen-time (at least in the initial film), but they burn up the joint with
their hardboiled intensity. It is also cool to see Shaw Brothers mainstay David
Chiang as the commanding Chief Superintendent. Yet, perhaps the late, great
Wong Tin-lam’s quietly droll turn as Uncle Teng, the Uncle of Uncles, best
personifies the crafty film.
