Election

“It’s politics as usual when a triad society attempts to nominate a new boss in this slow-burn, atmospheric gangster thriller that starts off like a near-documentary study and winds up on the far side of Shakespearean tragedy. Two men vie to become the new leader of the Wo Shing Society, with the becalmed, forward-looking Lok (Simon Yam) the front-runner over loose cannon Big D (Tony Leung Ka-fai)….Neither can truly be boss, though, without the gang’s symbol, a centuries-old baton hidden in China. As fortunes rise and fall and allegiances shift (sometimes in the middle of one cell-phone call), Election moves from gangster film to tragicomedy to political satire.”
— BAMPFA

“As the psychological elements of the story push their way into the foreground, Election takes on a darker, more Shakespearean hue, and a rich political and moral subtext begins to take shape. By the end, Mr. To has proven himself to be a genre hack of uncommon intelligence and soul: a first-rate entertainer who can thrill you into thinking.”
— A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Film Details

Country: Hong Kong
Languages: Cantonese

Year: 2005

Running time: 100 min

Format: 35mm

Director: Johnnie To

Producers: Johnnie To, Dennis Law
Cinematographer: Cheng Siu-keung
Editor: Patrick Tam
Print Source: Kino Lorber

Films and schedules may be subject to change.

Modern Cinema’s Founding Supporters are Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein. Generous support is provided by Nion T. McEvoy and the Susan Wildberg Morgenstein Fund.