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Aro Recommended Election

 

Hong Kong 2005, 101 minutes
Dir. Johnnie To
Rating: [R16]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Suspense/Crime / Gangsters

 

Aroview: A terrific gangland power tussle from genre exponent Johnnie To, this combative suspenser embarks on the shady underworld of triad politics in contemporary Hong Kong, with unorthodox results.

Rather than indulge in the action-posing endemic of Hong Kong cinema, To is quite content to sit quietly in on the dense smoke-lit meetings of sinister figureheads and the criminal powers that be. Much of the film's conflict arises between two big wigs: Lok (Yam) and Big D (Leung Ka-fai), both vying for supremacy in a democratic election set to determine the triad chairman, and control of the city's most lucrative territory. Lobbying aside, what elevates this above the average organised crime thriller is its considerable restraint: a moody, dialogue-driven pressure cooker that conjures up its explosive and unexpected finale out of seemingly thin air.

NZ International Film Festival 2005

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