Hak se wui (2005)

Director:

Johnny To

Writers:

Nai-Hoi Yau (written by) &
Tin-Shing Yip (written by)

Release Date:

20 octubre 2005 (China)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A drama-thriller centered on a democratic election within an organized crime society. |

Plot Keywords:

Police | Organized Crime | Power Struggle | Triad | Hospital

Awards:

9 wins & 15 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

A brooding HK gangster film

Cast

Simon Yam	...	Lam Lok
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Big D
Louis Koo	...	Jimmy Lee
Nick Cheung	...	Jet
Ka Tung Lam	...	Kun (as Lam Ka Tung)
Siu-Fai Cheung	...	Mr. So (as Cheung Siu Fai)
Suet Lam	...	Big Head (as Lam Suet)
Tian-lin Wang	...	'Uncle' Teng Wai (as Wong Tin Lam)
Ping-Man Tam	...	Uncle Cocky (as Tam Ping Man)
Maggie Siu	...	Mrs. Big D (as Maggie Shiu)
David Chiang	...	Chief Superintendent Hui
Yong You	...	China Police Captain (as Yao Yung)
Chung Wang	...	Whistle (as Wong Chung)
Siu-Pang Chan	...	Uncle Monk / Long Guen (as Chan Siu Pang)
Bun Yuen	...	Incense Master (as Yuen Bun)

También conocida como:

Election (International: English title) (UK)
Black Society (China: Cantonese title) (literal English title)
Election: Vol 1 (UK) (DVD box title)
Election: Volume 1 (UK) (DVD title)
Hei she hui (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Duración:

Argentina:100 min | USA:100 min | China:85 min (cut version) | France:101 min (Cannes Film Festival)

País:

Hong Kong

Idioma:

Cantonese | Mandarin | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sonido:

Dolby Digital

Clasificación:

Norway:11 | France:-12 | UK:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Hong Kong:III | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | Brazil:18 | Germany:18 | Italy:VM14 | USA:Unrated | Argentina:13 | Argentina:16 | Malaysia:18PL

Filming Locations:

Central, Hong Kong, China

Company:

China Star Entertainment

Trivialidades:

The porcelain spoon eating scene was based on Suet Lam's real life experience in triads.

Quotes:

Big D: [to Lok] Don't talk to me until you have the baton!

Movie Connections:

Followed by Hak se wui yi wo wai kwai (2006)

Soundtrack:

SONG FOR HEAVEN

A brooding HK gangster film

It might be a little erroneous to open a review by describing a film in terms of other films, but I think it's the best way to give an approximation of the place Election occupies in the gangster genre arena. It works somewhere in between The Godfather and Kinji Fukasaku's yakuza opus The Yakuza Papers (AKA Battles Without Honour and Humanity), in that it is simultaneously both romanticized and realistic, dark and gritty. But it's also a Johnnie To film, and as such it carries the distinct touch of the Hong Kong auteur.

Every two years the HK Triad elects a new boss. Only this time one of the candidates is not overly happy with the result so he decides to take matters into his own hands much to the dismay of the rest of the Triads and the police. That's the story in a nutshell but rest assured it has a lot more going for it than that. As in The Yakuza Papers, there's a great deal of scheming, back-stabbing and forming and switching of allegiances (sometimes all it takes is a phone call - in one of the most memorable scenes I've seen in recent time) which might not necessarily make for deep drama but makes for an interesting plot and good character conflict. Fans of the gangster genre are likely to appreciate it in that aspect. Election is not as action-oriented as one might expect; although it IS violent. And I'm not talking about the glossy, glamour version of Hollywood violence. This is dark and grim. To's camera lingers in the scenes of people being brutalized in ways that reveal both the humanity and inhumanity of the perpetrators and victims; after all violence IS an integral part of us whether we like it or not.

If you're familiar with To's style, then you should know what to expect. The pacing is relatively slow and deliberate. The cinematography is great, slick and dark in equal measures, utilizing dark hues (brown, dark green and orange) while the smooth tracking shots add a vibrant quality to it. In the end, Election occupies a peculiar place. It's not exactly a character study and it's not an action-oriented gangster film. It explores a situation (the election and its aftermath), but does so in style, and is both realistic and romanticized (the Triad ceremonies in particular echo of an oriental Godfather).