Triad Election

Triad Election ***

Directed by Johnny To
Written by Nai-Hoi Yau and Tin-Shing Yip

Starring:
Louis Koo as Jimmy
Simon Yam as Lok
Nick Cheung as Jet
Sui-Fai Cheung as Mr. So
Ka Tung Lam as Kun
Suet Lam as Big Head
Tian-lin Wang as Uncle Teng
Ping-Man Tam as Uncle Cocky
Mark Cheng as Bo
Yong You as Black Ren/Chinese Security Bureau Chief
Siu-Pang Chan as Long Guen
Mo-Hau Cheung as Mr. Shu
Andy On as Lik
Yue Tong Pan as Janice

93 Minutes(Not Rated-Strong Bloody Violence, Language)
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In the long run, what will make "Triad Election" suffer is the fact that it has subtitles. But this is the kind of film that those who love "Goodfellas," "The Godfather," or "The Departed" would want to add to their collection. And the best part is that it tells an equally exciting tale in a clean ninety minutes, never dragging, and one can never complain that it is too long. But many of those who love "Goodfellas," "The Godfather," or "The Departed," or at least the ones that I know, would probably never consider to watch a film with subtitles, even though here they are missing out on one hell of a ride. "Triad Election" gets down and dirty with political aspects of underground triads, or criminal organizations. It is a sequel to the 2005 film "Election," which is not to be confused with the dark comedy from 1999 with the same name. I have not seen the first, and it is clearly easy to watch this without having seen the first. For a special two week run at the Film Forum in Manhattan, you can see "Triad Election" four times a day, and smack in the middle of the afternoon you can check out "Election." And sadly, as much as I would have liked to make this a double feature, with Tribeca looming its head in the distance, I find the chances of seeing "Election" extremely slim.

We start the film with Jimmy, a businessman who has gone straight even though his past is tainted with life in the triad. This may or may not be shown in "Election." Jimmy's clothing even matches his past-he wears a black suit with a white shirt underneath, as if his black past is trying to overshadow his white present. He wants to build a house for his wife Janice-three stories-one for them and the other two for their children, who will become either doctors or lawyers. Everything changes with the upcoming triad election. The godfather of the organization gets to have a two year term before a revote. The current godfather would like a second term, and a series of others would like a chance as well. Jimmy ends up getting involved with a business deal that goes sour has him unable to do business in China. He would be able to if he was the godfather, and he really wants to begin a large business deal as soon as possible.

It is probably the bloodiest election ever(bloodier than the one in 2004) but director Johnny To manages to avoid many graphic images and present a violent gangster story that all audiences can watch. Perhaps he goes a bit overboard involving a human getting put through a meat slicer, but then images like that sometimes cannot be avoided. What makes "Triad Election" so powerful is its depiction of characters, and the tragic hero is Jimmy is played perfectly by Louis Koo. Often subtle, without much facial reaction, he shows us this happy man at the start and then the ultimate, tragic, and ironic finale. Koo actually makes you care for this character who really brings everything onto himself, and the final minute seems to promise an "Election 3." But first I will have to check out the first part. "Triad Election" is a must for those who love mafia films. It would be a shame to let this darkly comic gangster story slip past you simply because it has subtitles. Most of the time there is action on the screen without dialogue. And remember, Scorsese did remake "Infernal Affairs" with "The Departed," so you know that these are the types of films that he pays attention to, and hell, probably even learns a bit from. This is wonderful entertainment.