Movie Review for Triad Election

Summary: The post-1997 world of Chinese rule means that even the long-established Wo Shing Triad Society must change its ways and think north. But after the brotherhood was fractured by the ruthless grip of Chairman Lok, it was up to the younger generation to lead the way. Jimmy is the perfect candidate: smart and entrepreneurial. Even the Chinese authorities are interested in what Jimmy has to offer. Only problem is, Chairman Lok isn't one who gives up power easily.

                         Reviews of Triad Election
By Joshua Katzman of Chicago Reader (7/0)
            As in the first movie, To deftly references the Godfather trilogy, examining the moral equivocati...

By Robert K. Elder of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
            [Director To's] talent for documentary-style realism and navigating complex political systems set...

By Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid (7/0)
            Johnny To's superb, graceful new Triad Election actually has quite a bit in common with Francis C...

By George Wu of culturevulture.net (7/0)
            Triad Election lacks the emotional punch or aesthetic dazzle to take it up a notch.

By Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly (7/0)
            With Mob fever spiked by the return of The Sopranos, now's the perfect time to enjoy the intense ...

By Daniel Eagan of Film Journal International (7/0)
            Further proof that Johnnie To is one of the medium's most accomplished directors.

                         Reviews of Triad Election
By Chris Cabin of filmcritic.com (7/0)
            expertly captures the battle between old-school gangster pathology and the new cutthroat tactics ...

By Robert Abele of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            Like any good sequel, this film takes what is familiar with the original's concept -- in this cas...

By Jeremy Heilman of MovieMartyr.com (7/0)
            This disturbing social order, both inside and outside the Triad, is the series’ defining characte...

By Ted Murphy of Murphy's Movie Reviews (7/0)
            tackles big ideas like the preservation of tradition and the overall reach of destiny, but also s...

By Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News (7/0)
            Plenty of films owe a debt to The Godfather, but it's rare to see inspiration used as successfull...

By V.A. Musetto of New York Post (7/0)
            Ready for The Godfather with a distinctly Hong Kong flavor?

                         Reviews of Triad Election
By Manohla Dargis of New York Times (7/0)
            The surfaces gleam as luxuriously in Johnnie To's exemplary gangster thriller Triad Election as t...

By Leo Goldsmith of Not Coming to a Theater Near You (7/0)
            For all its emulation of American gangster films, Triad Election is first and foremost a portrait...

By Noel Murray of Onion AV Club (7/0)
            Like the best crime stories, this one isn't about how the bad guys live, it's about how we live.

By Pam Grady of Reel.com (7/0)
            Into a season of Hollywood blockbusters, this import arrives with the impact of a high-velocity b...

By Donald J. Levit of ReelTalk Movie Reviews (7/0)
            'Triad Election' creates vignettes without depth by piling set pieces hard and fast upon set piec...

By Sean Means of Salt Lake Tribune (7/0)
            Comparisons to The Godfather Part II are inevitable. For a change, such comparisons are also favo...

                         Reviews of Triad Election
By Peter Hartlaub of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
            The movie is familiar on several levels but also has its own engaging style.

By Sean Axmaker of Seattle Post-Intelligencer (7/0)
            ... exhibit A in the case for the Hong Kong gangster film as the new genre standard.

By Tom Keogh of Seattle Times (7/0)
            Like the late John Frankenheimer, director To marries his drama with action and superb compositio...

By Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine (7/0)
            Election 2 is equal in precision to its predecessor, exuding a perpetual sense of danger.

By Andrew Wright of The Stranger (Seattle, WA) (7/0)
            Shameless pulp it may be, but to watch it is to see a master craftsman continuing to refine his t...

By Ben Kenigsberg of Time Out (7/0)
            The movie’s most powerful component is political.

                         Reviews of Triad Election
By David Fear of Time Out New York (7/0)
            The director rejuvenates the genre by connecting the dots between a criminal subculture and a muc...

By Russell Edwards of Variety (7/0)
            Johnnie To's Election 2 is distinguished by intelligence, wit and violence but is lightly wounded...

By Michelle Orange of Village Voice (7/0)
            Each angle -- and To's take on the plight of the modern gangster -- is inspired.

By Shlomo Schwartzberg of Boxoffice Magazine (3/4) No reference
            Guided by To’s elegant camera moves, less visceral than most Hong Kong filmmakers, the Election m...

By Bill Stamets of Chicago Sun-Times (5/2) No reference
            If Machiavelli's The Prince and Sun Tzu's The Art of War translate to other centuries and culture...

By Jeff Vice of Deseret News, Salt Lake City (6/1) No reference
            Two screenwriters were responsible for this fascinating look at organized crime in China, as well...

                         Reviews of Triad Election
By Terry Lawson of Detroit Free Press (6/1) No reference
            This remains a well-crafted genre movie, and one that promises further developments in its final ...

By Elizabeth Kerr of Hollywood Reporter (3/4) No reference
            For anyone who saw Election, Johnnie To's masterful, modern reworking of the Hong Kong Triad dram...

By Andrew Sarris of New York Observer (3/4) No reference
            In contrast to many recent action films, women are neither empowered nor abused in this predomina...

By Stephen Whitty of Newark Star-Ledger (3/4) No reference
            The parallels to all three Godfather films are there, if you care to look, but the Election films...

By Mike Russell of Oregonian (6/1) No reference
            If you're willing to do the work, Triad Election pays you in tragedy.

By Jon Popick of Planet Sick-Boy (3/4) No reference
            It's really more of the same, with one key ingredient added: Jimmy providing what might be the gr...

                         Reviews of Triad Election
By Stephen Hunter of Washington Post (3/4) No reference
            Dense, demanding concentration, lacking any romantic (but plenty of sordid) violence, extremely i...

Movie Distributors
Tartan Films (US)

Production Companies
Milkyway Image
One Hundred Years of Film Co

Movie Studios