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.
Comment
01/03/08
Election (2005)
86
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:19
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.8/10
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Reviews for Election
Some real genius and understated power . . . transcends its genre and turns the venally criminal into the profoundly human.
11/19/07
Not To's greatest film, but an interesting examination of the inner workings of Hong Kong's triad gangs.
10/30/07
The film's violence erupts in rare, staccato bursts, all the more horrifying for coming out of nowhere.
08/24/07
Top CriticElection feels routine at times, though less formulaic than other genre exercises from Hong Kong. The depiction of crime customs is sociologically detailed.
07/13/07
Top Critic[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.
07/12/07
Top CriticDense, demanding concentration, lacking any romantic (but plenty of sordid) violence, extremely involving and rewarding of careful attention.
06/21/07
Top CriticUltimately, 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.
06/08/07
Top CriticReveals [director] To as a master of lean, close-quarters action.
06/07/07
Nobody familiar with [director] To will be surprised by the way he presents stylish violence in innovative and humorous ways.
04/27/07
Top Critichas more hits than misses
04/26/07
There is social commentary to be sure, but there are also some solid action thrills.
04/25/07
Top CriticElection, the first installment in Johnnie To's two-film Hong Kong gangland serial, is a densely plotted, pulpy procedural.
04/25/07
Top CriticUnlike 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.
04/18/07
Top CriticIt's a thrilling premise. What a shame, then, that Election can't get the basics right.
10/28/06
To’s double shot is a landmark work for HK cinema.
10/28/06
We are plunged into this dispute, but with insufficient time to get to know any of these players, they never fully come to life.
10/28/06
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.
10/28/06
It's easy to see why a sequel was quickly cranked out.
09/13/06
May feel a little aloof and dry, not to mention confusing, but there's a solid resonance within the story.
06/06/06
Latest News for Election
September 25, 2006:
Toronto Wrapup: Senh, Jen And Tim's Raves And Rants From The Festival
We saw some great movies, some of them big ("Babel") and some tiny ("The Patterns Trilogy"). We saw some interesting failures ("The Banquet") and... More...
September 16, 2006:
TORONTO: "Away From Her," "The Prisoner," "El Cantante," And More Purchased at Fest
Picturehouse led the pack of acquisitions at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, nabbing North American rights to "El Cantante," the biopic of Salsa... More...
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