ELECTION 2

[Berri]

ELECTION 2



Check out Election 2's TRAILER


Director: Johnny To

Cast: Simon Yam, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, Lam Ka Tung, Cheung Siu Fai, Lam Suet, Wong Tin Lam, Tam Ping Man

Release Date: April 27 2006

Synopsis : In post-1997 Hong Kong, even the long-established “Wo Shing” Triad Society has to succumb to the power of China. The entrepreneurial sect leader Jimmy (Louis Koo) seems to be the perfect candidate to lead the Society into the new Millennium. Only problem is, Jimmy wants out.



When Jimmy’s business venture in China stalls, the Mainland government approaches him with an offer: Become Wo Shing’s next Chairman and lead the Society according to Mainland government’s wishes. In return Jimmy will enjoy full government backing of his business empire. As other candidates engage in bitter struggle for the Chairman position, Jimmy begins to understand the real price he has to pay for the deal…








Last edited by Berri on Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:11 am; edited 5 times in total

[homestylejuice]

Chiew, Election was a pretty poor movie, in my opinion. I can only hope the second one will be better, but I'm not too sure about that because of the synopsis that I just read.

[Berri]

“Election” was directed by Johnnie To. As it deals with a sensitive topic, there were quite a lot of reactions after it was screened earlier. The second part, which was filmed nearly a year ago, “黑社會以和為貴” (Election II) will be screened on April 27th in Hong Kong. It will be the opening’s movie of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. There is no doubt that the audience will anticipate the plot development. The leading actor, Louis Koo, said that the sequel and “Election” are actually two different stories. Only the character is the same. He also thinks that the plot still has a lot of potential to develop it, but Johnnie hasn’t thought about directing a third part. Because when writing the script initially, there was only written that much. So in order to film a third part, they will have to write again and that is not necessarily a good case.


The plot of the sequel is very mysterious throughout the movie. Yesterday, the probable ending content was exposed. Simon Yam played the leader of an organization in the previous part. The sequel will talk about the office workers holding elections once every two years. Simon hopes to be re-elected, but newcomer Louis forms a big threat for him. In the movie, Gordon Lam, Nick Cheung, Eddie Cheung, Lam Suet and Louis are all Simon’s men. Throughout the movie, Simon is the most vigilant with Louis, while all Louis wanted was his own personal business and to be no longer involved with the matters of the organization. However, afterwards in order to realize his business wish, in the end he ends up striving vigorously for the position of the leader. So they end up quarrelling and the two of them officially begin to fight with each other.

More on Election:
http://www.karazen.com/reviews/movies/election.php

[stanlo928]

Election was just alright. I hope Election 2 will be better than the first one.

[Berri]

Hong Kong-made gangster film “Election 2” was the box office winner beating out all other films opening last weekend. Sacrificing the mainland market, director Johnnie To regained creative freedom to boldly commentate on Hong Kong’s political elections through triad warfare for the next organized crime boss. The movie has also crossed the tolerable violence level of the mainland censors. However, mainland’s censorship bureau is really not to be blamed. In the last couple of years, film financers have forgone the creative freedom of independently producing a film in favor of collaborating with mainland China. The end result is disconnectedness with both the Hong Kong and mainland audience and many potential great films tossed in the can because they cannot find mainland partners. Mainland audience found the wild imagination and openness of older Hong Kong movies irresistible. But thematic elements in “partner films” are strictly regulated and rigid. If there wasn’t an all-star cast, big budget production price tag, or record-breaking distribution, most film goers will avoid these “partner films.” Film is different from other industries. In other export-driven industries, the foreign market does dictate the trend and quality of the product, but a film cannot be without its regional or domestic market. What is lost in catering to this outside market is regional culture and values. An example is when Hong Kong films tried to adapt itself to fit into the Taiwanese market. But when it lost its regional flair and flavor, it also lost its audience. The Hong Kong film market is not a big one to begin with, and it is getting even smaller, but Hong Kong film did grow up in this small niche market. And even though there are heavy competitions with other media products, the one thing that can bring resonance with the Hong Kong audience is still Hong Kong made films.