Predictably, Johnnie To's Election 2 follows on from 2005's Election. However, it's a more satisfying watch than its scene-setting predecessor. As a closely tied two-part series, one isn't fully realized without the other. Think both Kill Bill volumes. Both films were released at a time when HK cinema was in notable decline. But the original movie wowed audiences with its impressive filmmaking and storytelling, winning awards and posing a direct challenge to HK cinema landscape critics. Election 2 concludes the themes presented in the first movie handsomely. Essentially a gangster movie series, the first movie introduces us to a triad election process and the nefarious characters that inhabit, as per the Chinese translation, the Black Society. Cold, dark, and exhilarating, both Elections navigate the mind games, double-crossing, greed, and power grabs you would expect from underworld elections where violence is normalized. However, the physical aspect of that violence is mostly reserved for narrative payoffs. When someone needs to get bumped from knowing too much or, as in Lok's case in the first film, massive character reveals designed to stun when least expected. Election 2 is less "fun" than the first film because it has to tell Jimmy's story, an allegory of very HK money-obsessed ambition, all within the encroaching shadow of corrupted mainland officials and questions about the legitimacy of a democratic process to begin with. Both films slow-burn but are classy and masterful. Give them time to burn because when they do, you'll be absolutely hooked and wish they had made a third.
A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box full movie hd 1080p
2ff7e9595c
Comments