Review of Election

Although I understand that the film revolves around an internal power struggle within a triad, I found myself largely uninterested in what was happening on screen.

The film opens with an election for the position of chairman between two candidates, Lok and Big D, whose results eventually spark a conflict between their respective factions. My main issue is that the film provides virtually no background information about either candidate. We learn nothing about their past, their rise through the ranks, or their lives beyond the criminal underworld. Instead, most of the film is devoted to the power struggles between the two factions, while Lok and Big D seem to exist merely as names for other characters to invoke whenever they argue over who deserves to lead. Neither man gets enough memorable actions or dialogue to leave a lasting impression, making it difficult to see them as genuine protagonists. This lack of character development left me unable to connect with either of them, let alone feel convinced that one candidate was more deserving of the position than the other.

Another issue is the sheer number of characters. New faces keep appearing one after another, making it difficult for me to stay focused and follow the story, especially when so little information is provided about their respective positions and roles within the triad. Some characters’ names are mentioned only in passing, leaving me with little chance of remembering who they are. I understand that a triad naturally has a large number of members, but given that the story primarily revolves around the power struggle between two candidates, a more streamlined cast would have made the narrative tighter and more focused instead of so diluted. Honestly, I could only remember three faces from the entire triad: Uncle Teng, Big D (Tony Leung Ka-fai), and Jimmy (Louis Koo).

One thing I did appreciate, however, was the film’s portrayal of the police. Rather than glorifying them as heroes who relentlessly fight crime, it presents law enforcement as a flawed system riddled with loopholes and cowardice. The police allow the triads to operate within certain limits, not necessarily because they are completely powerless, but because they want to prevent a full-scale conflict that could spiral out of control and leave them responsible for cleaning up the mess. It is an interesting perspective, suggesting that the police are not necessarily above the power games taking place around them, but may instead help maintain the very system that allows such a distorted order to persist.