Election (2005 film)
Election (Chinese: 黑社會; literal title: Black Society, a common Cantonese reference to the triads), is a 2005 Hong Kong crime film directed by Johnnie To. Featuring a large ensemble cast, the film stars Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka-fai as two gang leaders engaged in a power struggle to become the new leader of a Hong Kong triad.
| Election | |||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黑社會 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黑社会 | ||||||||||
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| Directed by | Johnnie To | ||||||||||
| Written by | Yau Nai-hoi Yip Tin-shing | ||||||||||
| Produced by | Dennis Law Johnnie To | ||||||||||
| Starring | Simon Yam Tony Leung Ka-fai Louis Koo Nick Cheung | ||||||||||
| Cinematography | Cheng Siu-Keung | ||||||||||
| Edited by | Patrick Tam | ||||||||||
| Music by | Lo Ta-yu | ||||||||||
Production companies | Milkyway Image One Hundred Years of Film | ||||||||||
| Distributed by | China Star Entertainment Group | ||||||||||
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes | ||||||||||
| Country | Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Languages | Cantonese Mandarin | ||||||||||
| Box office | US$2.2 million | ||||||||||
The film premiered as an "Official Selection" at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, before being released in Hong Kong on 20 October 2005, with a Category III rating. A sequel, Election 2 (also known as Triad Election in the United States), was released in 2006.
Hilary Hongjin He, a doctoral student at the University of Western Sydney, stated that compared to its sequel, this film is "less political or suspicious" from a Mainland standpoint.