NYFF - Triad Election

Day 12 at the New York Film Festival.

Triad Election
Director: Johnnie To, Country: Hong Kong, Release: 2006, Runtime: 92 min.
Hak se wui (Election) with a new player, China

Jimmy (Louis Koo) is working in mainland China trying to close a business deal. Things look good, the backers are happy, and soon this lovely piece of rural landscape will be developed into an industrial complex. He take a moment to climb a nearby hill to share his vision of a future with his wife, longing for a home to look over his creation and a few kids who'll grow up to be lawyers or doctors. Back in Hong Kong, we find out how difficult it will be for Jimmy to reach his dreams. It seems Jimmy is not only involved in the triad (mob), he's tapped to be it's next Chairman (leader). He resists but soon finds himself at the mercy of a mainland China government official. It seems Jimmy was caught bribing a permit bureaucrat to get permission to build his business center and now he needs to maintain his gang connection to do any work in China. So under duress, Jimmy bows to several of the Uncle's wishes and runs for Chairman. Lok, who is just completing his 2 year commitment as Chairman, decides he doesn't want to give up power. Now the streets of Hong Kong turn into a feudal landscape with kidnappings, gun fights, and one rather disturbing scene of torture in a dog kennel. The quest for power turns Jimmy into something he didn't wish to become. And he soon will find out that what he thinks is power is just an allusion. Towards the end of the film, he's looking down again from the China hillside where he hoped to build a home, a future under his terms, but now he realizes he isn't in control. Someone else is pulling the strings of his life now.

Johnny To does a marvelous job using the mob, Jimmy's dreams, and the influence of mainland China on Hong Kong to show how things have changed after the pass-over of 1997. Gangs flourish in this environment and the quest for power can make a man a dog. He isn't without sympathies for the structure of the triad. At least the triad limits its terms and the Chairman is voted on by the Uncles. To contrasts this against China's government in an insightful way. While there is violence, there is surprising restraint in To's use of blood and what is shown on screen. He uses limited cuts to showing brutality and lets action happening just outside the camera frame. But what really stand out is To's ability to use light, dark, and colors in bringing the visual qualities of Hong Kong and China to the story. This accomplishment is more astounding after he discussed his process. To uses no script, no storyboards. He just figures the film out in his head and works each day with cast and crew to produce what he wants from the story. He recognizes this is difficult for the actors. Unfortunately, I think this style might account for a few sequences that aren't as polished as they could be. There are also a few pacing problems that might have been solved with a script reading or a rewrite or two. Overall, however, the results are thrilling and exciting. A fun film for those who like Hong Kong action.