Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Aka Election 2 -- continuation of crime dramaIt's Election time again , and this time the lead candidates are Kun - the Baton retriever who served jail time for running over cop , and Jimmy - the leading money-maker in the Wo-Sing and Society Favorite ..Jimmy doesn't want to run for prez , he wants to go clean as a businessman . But after getting busted in undercover sting, he's coerced by the head Inspector to become the new Chairman if he has any dreams of running business on his grounds .Lok on the other hand , doesn't want to give up power either ,, and is plotting a second term which is against Society rules ... As the time ticks closer things get more and more antsy9/10

Even if I was given a week to consider my verdict, I'm certain that I'd come up with the same answer: 'Infernal Affairs' is the best crime movie of the past 40 years; the best gangster movie since the first Godfather movie. 'Election: Volume 2' deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as 'Infernal Affairs'; it really is that good. It's never going to displace 'IA' in my affections, but in the way that you come to recognise great movies on a first viewing, I know its appeal will endure and not diminish. And, in contrast to the Godfather series with which it might be compared, this 'sequel' is far superior to the first movie.I wasn't a huge fan of the first movie: it was just too much about style and ritual, and bore too much of a Kitano influence in its alternation of serenity and violence; but I did see enough in it to want to investigate Johnnie To further, even if - after the massive disappointment of the 'Infernal Affairs' sequels - I was reluctant to risk viewing another failed Hong Kong crime movie sequel. But this one was a joy, right from the get-go. Given its pace, I decided not to overly concern myself with plot complexities and especially who's doing what to whom: the introductory scene - despite the number of 'interests' present - was set up in such a way that I knew there was really only one character I needed to focus on: a young, charming, and ambitious businessman whose rise had been facilitated by Triad gang membership, but who was now looking to expand his horizons. It's called 'setting your stall out' - both character and film-maker.The settings are mostly recognizable and familiar to fans of such as 'The Godfather' and 'Goodfellas', not to mention its predecessor, and - to a certain extent - the great Melville: the quiet, lyrical scenes and locations, the domestic scenes, the triad summit meetings, the nightclubs; and then there's the dialogue: threats - implied and expressed; or ambitions and concerns expressed; plus the occasional burst of savage violence, just in case the messages hadn't 'gotten through'. And the importance of loyalty. All of which might suggest an excess of reverence and homage, or even the dreaded pastiche - but not a bit of it. Maybe it was more a case of To setting his sights high - and in a Daedalus, and in no way an Icarus way - and wanting to be judged alongside those more epic films, because he knew how good the story he had to tell was.Because its shorter than either of the aforementioned Masterpieces - and less ambitious - it might be considered a lesser film, but I'm having none of it, because there's not one milligram of flab here, and it tells all the story it needs to tell, and tells it well. And its the pacing, the editing,the choreography, the moulding of a succession of scenes into a satisfying whole. It's not even so much the ending, because I could see that coming from a mile away; it's just that everything fits in the way you wanted it to fit, and not in a seen-it-all-before kind of way. It's just perfect, and I can't wait to watch it again.

"Be careful what you wish for... it may come true." As overused and clichéd as this saying is, it really does match up nicely with the main theme from Johnnie To's Triad Election, the second in the Master Director's Election series. After chronicling Lok's rise to power in the first Election, To and the gang team up for part two. This time Lok (Simon Yam) is the godfather who is seeking an unheard of second term. Jimmy (Louis Koo) is the newcomer who needs the chairman position to secure a building project in mainland China that will make him rich. Election 2 tells a story which is based on an actual event which occurs in China. Every two years, the Chinese mafia has a democratically held election to decide who will become the chairman. As in any election, a fair amount of foul play is involved, all the more so in Election 2 because the candidates are gangsters who are jockeying for control of the Hong Kong underworld.The performances are the film's greatest attribute, Election 2 features a great ensemble cast as well as one of Simon Yam's greatest performances (and he's had a lot of roles) as the understated evil chairman. Yam is so charismatic the viewer begins to forget how conniving and deceitful his character is. Louis Koo is also fairly sympathetic in his business man turned gangster character, who as the film progresses, starts to resemble Lok more than himself. Magnificently scored, Triad Election's music would seem to be more fit for a horror film than a gangster flick. That being said, it works. Melodic guitar riffs and a mournful Cello help highlight the truly horrifying depths a man can reach in pursuit of his goal. And there are some disturbingly brutal scenes in this film, culminating in an ending that is both brilliant and haunting. But the true allure of Election 2 (Triad Election) is following Jimmy's (Louis Koo)transformation from a somewhat reputable business man into an all out ruthless gangster. This is the center-point of the film, and it's what makes Triad Election great. The focus is on character development, not on action (although, Election 2 has it's share of it). In style and form, the film more closely resembles Coppola's Godfather films than an HK action flick. So don't be expecting non-stop action scenes from Election 2, the real fireworks come from the two leads interactions and the treachery that ensues.Bottom Line- A must have for Asian Cinema Fans as well as anyone who digs gangster flicks.

I recently saw this at the 2007 Palm Springs International Film Festival and I had never seen the first film of this series but this still stands on it's own without the benefit of seeing the first film Election. This being distributed as Triad Election although in the opening credits is called Election 2. This is the story of a large Hong Kong crime syndicate that has it's hand in several business dealings from bootleg compact discs to government contracts in Hong Kong and on mainland China. Ten of the actors reprise their roles here from the first film. Lok is the head of the crime family of which was elected to serve a two year term and now his term is up. He wants to hang on to his power and not go into semi-retirement as an elder or uncle within the Triad. Jimmy is the odd-on favorite to win the election this time around but he is a reluctant candidate. He only wants to be a underworld businessman which he never will be unless he accepts the position as the elected one term leader of the crime family. Veterna director Johnny To is back as the director as well as the screenplay team of Nal Hei Yau and Tin-Shing yip, cinematographer Siu-keung Chang and production director Tony Yu. This is a violent film and many comparisons have been made with the Godfather and other American gangster films. Not knowing anything about this or it's predecessor film I didn't really know what to expect here but this is a well-polished film with a good story and plenty of interesting characters. I would give this an 8.0 out of 10.