Johnnie Tos Election was a major box-office success & a multiple winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards. The momentum carries on in Election 2, an effective sequel to the original film, which expands upon the plot &, more importantly, the themes of the original. Like Election, Election 2 centers on a power struggle between two triad leaders. Simon Yam reprises his role as Lok, the ambitious Wo Sing chairperson in Election. In the sequel he seeks a second term of office, a feat never before attempted in the gang. His opponent, instead of coming from his peers like in Election, is the rising young triad leader Jimmy, played by Louis Koo. The astounding storytelling & visually powerful sequences expose the darker side of human nature during their power struggle, in a style that no one can do better than HKs genre film master Johnnie To.
It has been two years since Lok (Simon Yam) quite literally beat Big D to head the Wo Sing triad, & now is the time for another round of elections. The two-year term cannot satisfy Loks greed for power, & he attempts to violate the gangs rules & seek a second term. Nick Cheung & Gordon Lam return as the Wo Sing members who have also shown interest in the chairmans seat, while Lam Suet & Eddie Cheung are triads who seem content with what they have. Jimmy (Louis Koo), the up-&-coming triad entrepreneur is too involved in his pirate VCD business to run for office. But the influential Uncles, led by Deng (Wong Tin Lam), want to groom him, & Jimmy soon finds out that chairman status is essential for expanding his business on the Mainl&.
In Election 2, Johnnie To has made his political references even more explicit than in the first film. Those who have stayed in touch with Hong Kongs political news will find much amusement in the films denouement. But even those who have not will find much to delight them in Tos sharp & witty observations on Hong Kongs election system.