Triad Election (2006) Hak se wui yi wo wai kwai (original title)

Director:

Johnnie To

Writers:

Nai-Hoi Yau (written by) and
Tin-Shing Yip (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

27 April 2006 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Even a criminal can serve his country

Plot:

As election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok (Yam) faces competition from his godsons. At the same time, Jimmy (Koo) looks to increase his business relations with mainland China. |

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Louis Koo	...	Jimmy Lee
Simon Yam	...	Lam Lok
Nick Cheung	...	Jet
Ka Tung Lam	...	Kun (as Lam Ka Tung)
Suet Lam	...	Big Head (as Lam Suet)
Siu-Fai Cheung	...	Mr. So (as Cheung Siu Fai)
Tian-lin Wang	...	Uncle Teng Wai (as Wong Tin Lam)
Mark Cheng	...	Bo
Bing-Man Tam	...	Uncle Cocky (as Tam Ping Man)
Yue-Tong Pan	...	Janice (as Pauline Pan)
Andy On	...	Lik
Yong You	...	Black Ren / Chinese Security Bureau Chief (as Yao Yung)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brenda Chan		(as Kwai-fan Chan)
Siu Kai Chan	...	Brother Kin (as Chan Siu Kai)
Siu-Pang Chan	...	Uncle Monk
Yung Cheung Chan		(as Chan Yung Cheung)
Chi Ping Cheung	...	Uncle Dead Dog (as Cheung Chi Ping)
Mo-Hau Cheung	...	Mr. Shu (as Albert Cheung)
Chi-Shing Chiu	...	Long Hair (as Chiu Chi Shing)
Alan Chui Chung San	...	Uncle Tank (as Tsui Chung Shun)
Man Kit Fan	...	Lok's henchman (as Fan Man Kit)
Ching Ting Law	...	Jimmy's driver (as Lu Ching Ting)
Jonathan Lee	...	Denny Lam
Fa Yuan Li	...	Lok's henchman (as Lee Fat Yuen)
Chun Pong Ling		(as Ling Chun Pong)
Chiang Lo	...	Brother Snake (as Law Keung)
Shing Lun Mok		(as Mok Shing Lun)
Hsin Shen	...	Uncle Long Gun (as Yuen-Yin Yu)
Pui Chung Tong	...	Uncle Chiu Chow (as Tong Pui Chung)
Sze Yan Wong	...	Chak (as Wong Sze Yan)
Bun Yuen	...	Incense Master (as Yuen Bun)
Jianjun Zhou	...	Section Chief Ho (as Zhou Jian Jun)

Directed by
Johnnie To

Writing credits
Nai-Hoi Yau		(written by) (as Yau Nai Hoi) and
Tin-Shing Yip		(written by) (as Yip Tin Shing)
Nai-Hoi Yau		(characters) uncredited &
Tin-Shing Yip		(characters) uncredited

Produced by
Catherine Chan	....	production executive
Tiffany Chen	....	administrative producer
Elos Gallo	....	consultant producer
Charles Heung	....	executive producer
Kok Leung Kuk	....	line producer (as Kuk Kok Leung)
Dennis Law	....	executive producer
Dennis Law	....	producer
Johnnie To	....	producer

Original Music by
Robert Ellis-Geiger

Cinematography by
Siu-keung Cheng		(director of photography) (as Cheng Siu Keung)

Film Editing by
Ka-kit Cheung		(as Jeff Cheung)
Wing-cheong Law		(as Law Wing Cheong)

Art Direction by
Tony Yu

Costume Design by
Stanley Cheung

Makeup Department
Kit Ling Chan	....	on-set dresser (as Chan Kit Ling)
Miko Chu	....	makeup artist (as Midco Chu)
Rachel Kong	....	hair stylist
Joe Kwong	....	hair stylist
Yun-Ling Man	....	makeup artist (as Man Yuen Ling)

Production Management
Chi-Shing Chiu	....	unit manager (as Chiu Chi Shing)
Elaine Chu	....	project manager
Yuin Shan Ding	....	production supervisor (as Ding Yuin Shan)
Jackson Ha	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wai Hung Chan	....	assistant director (as Chan Wai Hung)
Ka-kit Cheung	....	assistant director (as Jeff Cheung)
Wing-cheong Law	....	associate director (as Law Wing Cheong)

Art Department
Wing Kei Au	....	property master (as Au Wing Kei)
Kin Wah Ko	....	property master (as Ko Kin Wah)
Brian Lau	....	assistant art director
Kwok On Lau	....	property master (as Lau Kwok On)

Sound Department
Tony Cheng	....	location sound
Sin-kwok Lee	....	location sound (as Lee Sin Kwok)
Charlie Lo	....	sound designer
Charlie Lo	....	sound editor
May Mok	....	sound designer
May Mok	....	sound mixer
Man Keung Ngai	....	boom operator (as Ngai Man Keung)
Chun Ming Wong	....	boom operator (as Wong Chun Ming)
Tomy Yu	....	foley artist (as Tommy Yu)

Visual Effects by
Pak Chung Kwan	....	CGI animator (as Kwan Pak Chung)
Peony Lam	....	visual effects coordinator
Siu Lun Leung	....	CGI animator (as Leung Siu Lun)
Stephen Ma	....	visual effects supervisor
Lai Kuen Wong	....	optical effects coordinator (as Wong Lai Kuen)

Stunts
Chun Pong Ling	....	stunt coordinator (as Ling Chun Pong)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tsz Pun Ko	....	making-of camera (as Ko Tsz Pun)
Ting Fung Kwong	....	best boy (as Kwong Ting Fong)
Hirotake Okazaki	....	still photographer
Hung Mo To	....	cinematographer: second unit (as To Hung Mo)
Kwok Chiu Wu	....	gaffer (as Wu Kwok Chiu)

Editorial Department
Simon Fung	....	assistant editor
Cathy Lau	....	post-production assistant
Calmen Lui	....	post-production executive

Music Department
Charles C.W. Chan	....	music editor

Other crew
Hiu Tao An	....	dubbing coach: Mandarin (as An Hiu Tao)
Ching Ting Law	....	set runner (as Lu Ching Ting)
Wing-cheong Law	....	associate director
Andy Ma	....	continuity
Po Sang Sie	....	story consultant (as Sie Po Sang)

Thanks
Tayu Lo	....	special thanks (as Lo Tayu)

Production Companies

• China Star Entertainment
• One Hundred Years of Film Company
• Milky Way Image Company

Distributors

• China Star Entertainment (2006) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• ARP Sélection (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Avalon Productions (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Eng Wah Cinema (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Company (2006) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Tartan (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Celluloid Dreams (2006) (worldwide) (all media)
• China Star Worldwide Distribution (2006) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Optimum Releasing (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Palisades Tartan (2006) (USA) (all media)

Other Companies

• China Star Production Services Limited  post-production facilities
• Brilliant Genesis Limited  cgi animation
• Milky Way Image Company  post-production sound studio
• Showreel Film Facilities  post-production sound studio
• i Zone Sound Design  foley design
• Milky Way Image Company  camera and lighting equipment
• Cinerent  camera and lighting equipment
• Kodak (Hong Kong) Ltd.  film stock
• Shaw Brothers  laboratory
• Mandarin Laboratory (International) Ltd.  subtitles

Also Known As:

"Hak se wui yi wo wai kwai" - Hong Kong (original title)
"Black Society 2: Triads Value Peace Most" - Hong Kong (English title) (literal title)
"Election 2" - International (English title) (imdb display title)
"Election 2: Harmony Is a Virtue" - International (English title) (alternative title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin | Cantonese

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Malaysia:18PL (cut) | France:-12 | Australia:MA | Argentina:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | USA:Unrated | UK:18

Company:

China Star Entertainment

Trivia:

The film was shown Out of Competition (midnight screening) at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. The film was shown in Grand Theatre Lumiere, the most prestigious theater at Cannes.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Jet is attacking Long Hair from behind with a machete, he slices his neck but there is no blood on the blade, and Long Hair is not bleeding out from his wound.

Quotes:

Mr. Shi:From now on, you're welcome in China as tourists. But you can't do business here.
Jimmy:Why?
Mr. Shi:It's our policy.
Jimmy:Mr. Shu is also a gangster. Why can he do business in China?
Mr. Shi:We made a deal, and he's a patriot.
Jimmy:I can make you a deal. I can be a patriot.
Mr. Shi:What's your rank in Wo Sing? Not its Chairman?
Jimmy:If I run for Chairman, will you give me what I want?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Johnnie Got His Gun! (2010)

HK Neo Reviews: Election 2

Spooky? Funny? Yeah!

In 2006 HK Cinema, few movies warrant a second viewing, but clearly Election 2 is one that improves in its 2nd running. Johnny To is a versatile director and needless to say, whatever tension that is lacking in its sequel, Johnny makes up for it with twice the brutality and further destruction of those in power. While the first film emphasis on one struggle for power and its ability to corrupt even the most ingenious of humanity, the second one further this notion, that the only way to secure power is through eliminating all its challengers. Perhaps Bush is right - "you are either with us or against us" as this notion is never proved so strongly correct. Needless to say, Election 2 is already fast becoming of the finest work from the little territory this year.

One of the most memorable yet shocking scenes is without doubt the chopping sequence of arms, legs and body parts of a living person and then churning it out into dog food. Fear is a factor that allows those in power to control the masses. It is at that moment that Louis Koo becomes a greater evil than Simon Yam. His goal is money, not triad power and glory. The saying goes: "money is the root of all evil" and at that moment, Koo have metamorphoses into a wild animal – crazy and no longer human. It is crazy to imagine what one can do for money as Koo's silent assassin screams out: "Add money" repetitively even the moment before he die, is both humorous yet bitterly ironic. In dicing a human into dog food, Johnny alludes to 90s' human pork chop movies and most notably – The Untold Story starring Anthony Wong. Luckily, Election 2 does not exactly show the vivid scene in full detail, or else it will probably break even the most carefree of censorship boards.

Like in the first film, the only way to survive in the dark underworld is to remain in power, as the Chinese saying goes: "one mountain can not shelter two tigers." Unlike the 1st film, Simon Yam takes a back seat, despite showing some quite credible acting chops. His expression upon kicking the old man down the stairs is calculatingly evil and so is the memorable expression as he holds on to the leader baton, with the type of grin hiding behind an ambitious smile. He is ultimately ambitious, yet an extremely flawed character. Louis Koo takes on the leading role, this time around in full force and perhaps one of his finest performances in years since Bullet Over Summer. His aim for business and money is noteworthy and the ambition hidden within the scene where he chops up arms and legs is equally startling to watch. A much underrated actor deserves to appear in more material like this. Other appears here and there and Lam Suet is once again funny in a cameo role. As usual Nick Cheung is fast becoming one of the coolest actors in HK cinema.

Following Neo's statements above of this being 2006's finest work isn't really an understatement, despite the poor quality of productions in most HK films. To have been able to embark a sequel that matches the original is alone a heck of an achievement. It is a beautiful piece of work and along with the ironic trademark finale, Johnny is back on the circuit. With many more productions ahead, one can only expect heaps better stuff to be made. Yes, to be perfectly honest, it is disgusting, but at the same time, it is really good to endure. (Neo 2006)

I rate it 9/10.

- www.thehkneo.com