Two years have passed since the events of Election, meaning another election for chairman of the Wo Shing society is at hand. The tradition states that there are no second terms, you bow out gracefully and let the next guy have his shot, so who are the candidates this time around? Based on the events of the previous movie, we know what kind of guy the current chairman Lok (Simon Yam) is. He is ruthless and cunning and driven by power. One gets the feeling he does not want to relinquish his title just yet despite the tradition. A democracy is just one strong leader away from being a dictatorship and that is what Lok envisions even if he doesn't admit it to his peers.
His opponent is Jimmy (Louis Koo), a supporting character in the last movie but now the leading candidate to be the next chairman. Bitter about how the last election went, Jimmy wants out of the life to focus on legitimate business. Every gangster seems to have that dream, but if there's anything you've learned from The Godfather is that you're in it for life. When he realizes that his future as a business man depends on his position in the triad, he reluctantly accepts the nomination and runs against Lok. (Actually everything happens before the elections even take place. It's never clear if Lok is even allowed to run again in the first place.) Naturally, Lok does not like this. This means war, again. Given the propensity for violence in the triad world and the dirty business of politics to begin with, you have to wonder about the wisdom of having these things every two years.
Jimmy, despite not wanting to be a gangster, is pretty damn gangster. His philosophy is that if you're in it, you might as well win it and his behavior here is even more grotesque than Lok's ever was. The primary difference between Triad Election and its predecessor is the amount of violence in this film. There is a sequence in the middle where Jimmy and his crew round up a bunch of Lok's men and cage them in a dog kennel trying to get them to turn on Lok. If throwing money at them doesn't work, why not try a sledgehammer to the hands, or the face. I cringed yet could not stop watching. The violence is gratuitous but done with style that would make Quinten Tarantino proud. And when sledge hammers don't work, try machetes. Ouch.
This film feels much more artistic than Election and has some of the visual flair of Vengeance which was ultra sleek. I really appreciated how well crafted the movie felt on top of being an interesting story with a nice dosage of bloody violence. I don't know if To works with the same cinematographer on his films but Triad Election and Vengeance in particular look really good and of course a lot of it has to do with To's artistic vision as well.
That leads me to wonder when you see something aesthetically pleasing on film, is that the director at work or the cinematographer? Who is responsible for how shots are set up? Is the cinematographer simply following the director's instructions or does he listen to what the director wants and say, "Oh I have the perfect looking shot for what you're going for."?
Triad Election improves upon its predecessor in just about every facet, save for Election's great ending. It can actually be seen on its own, but obviously I would recommend watching the first before this one. Together they make up quite an interesting if not riveting crime saga.
Grade: B+
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