Every two years, a new movie comes to prove that Hong-Kong cinema is well alive and still has a word to say to the international world of cinema. In 2001, "Time and Tide" reelected Tsui Hark as one most inventive director alive, in 2003, "Infernal Affairs" proved that HK thrillers are still better than American ones, and now, Johnny To wants to be elected as the new ambassador of HK cinema, as the selection of his two last movies at the international Cannes film Festival proves it. But if "Election" is a good and entertaining movie, it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre.
Every two years, one of the most important triad of Hong-Kong has to elect his boss, through a democratic way, where the older decides who can run and win the election. The movie deals with one of this election, which soon becomes a death fight between the two main candidates : the calm and cold-hearted Lok (magistraly interpreted by Simon Yam) and the crazy and dangerous Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai). Everything that could help to win the election is now permitted : from corruption to torture, and nothing will be spared.
So the film is quite enjoyable, for it's always nice to see a classical and well done HK triad movie. It really looks like a mid-nighties HK polar, from its atmosphere (and particularly the photography and the direction, with a camera always moving) to its actors. The main influences are still Melville and Coppola, with maybe a new touch of Kitano here (for the character of Big D.) 1997 finally didn't affect too much the way Hong-Kong makes movies, and although we knew it for some time now, it's always a pleasure to have a confirmation.
But the problem is that "Election" really lacks of originality, where Tsui Hark brought some crazy experimental elements and "Infernal Affairs" a more realist tone, "Election" didn't really bring anything new. And if the movie is realist and even didactic (you learn a lot about the triad rituals and the way it works while you're watching it), it also lacks of action and tension. Of course, there is one big fight scene (with knives, blades and foots : you won't find any elaborated John Woo's style gunfight in this film : for there is absolutely no gun in it !) it is quite short and rather confused. And there almost no dramatic tension in it : a long scene shows a sort of relay to catch a scepter, which will decided the winner of the election, and as no real suspense in it (even if it's quite fun to watch).
And one last thing I didn't really appreciate about the movie is its photography, which is very dark (and by dark I mean dark : you sometimes can't see anything but a black screen with a point of light somewhere very far). This style, which is familiar to Johnny To - he uses it in PTU for instance - doesn't really help the narration, which is already a little complicated, especially in the beginning of the movie, when you're not well aware of all the relations between the characters and of the triad complex rituals. Fortunatly, this problems will almost all be erased in the sequel of the film, "Election 2", which is definitely worst seeing.
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