Election 黑社會 (2005): The Movie Where a Gangster Election Was More Brutal Than Any Gunfight — And the Real Violence Was a Rock to the Head
The Triad Film That's Not About Brotherhood
Let's be honest: when you hear "Hong Kong triad movie," you probably think of Chow Yun-fat holding a gun, or John Woo's doves flying through a hail of bullets. You think of honor. Brotherhood. A code.
Election (黑社會) is none of those things.
Director Johnnie To has said it plainly: "I never thought triads were heroes." He grew up in Kowloon Walled City — he knew the reality. They're not romantic figures. They're neighbors, corpses, and the silence that follows violence [citation:2].
And in Election, he proves it.
What Is It About?
Hong Kong's most powerful triad, the "Wo Lin Shing" (and-society), is choosing its new "Chairman." It's an election — a real, rules-based, two-year term election [citation:1]. But behind the democratic veneer is pure corruption.
Two candidates are in the running:
- Lok (Simon Yam) — calm, calculating, and always in control. He presents himself as a family man, a diplomat who believes in the rules [citation:6].
- Big D (Tony Leung Ka-fai) — loud, impatient, and utterly ruthless. He paid bribes to the council members and expects results. When he loses, he doesn't accept it [citation:6].
The winner is Lok. Big D is furious. He decides to challenge the old rules — by force.
The object of the fight? The Dragon Head Baton — a wooden staff that symbolizes the ultimate power of the triad [citation:1]. Whoever holds it controls the society.
What follows is a scramble across Hong Kong and mainland China as a group of mid-level gangsters fight to control the baton and, with it, the future of the organization. But the real violence isn't a shootout. It's what happens at the end: a quiet, desperate act of brutality that changes everything.
The Cast That Made It Work
Simon Yam as Lok — the "good" candidate who's just as ruthless as the bad one. His performance is restrained, chilling, and earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards [citation:10].
Tony Leung Ka-fai as Big D — the loud, violent, and ultimately tragic figure who refuses to accept defeat. He won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor for this performance [citation:1][citation:7][citation:10].
Louis Koo as Jimmy — a small-time gangster who becomes a key player. His character would become the focus of the sequel.
Nick Cheung as Chicken — a gangster who sells his life to the organization. It's one of his most memorable early roles [citation:6].
Lam Suet, Cheung Siu-fai, Lam Ka-tung, Wong Tin-lam — the supporting cast is a who's-who of Hong Kong character actors.
The Scene That Defines the Film
There's a scene near the end of Election that people still talk about.
Lok and Big D are fishing together. They appear calm. They appear to have made peace. Big D suggests they change the rules so both can be Chairman [citation:1].
Lok agrees. He smiles. He picks up a rock.
And then — he hits Big D in the head. Over and over. He bludgeons him to death. He buries the body. He murders Big D's wife to cover it up [citation:1].
It's not a gunfight. It's not an explosion. It's a rock. And it's the most shocking moment in the film.
This is the scene that defines Election. There is no honor in this world. Only survival.
The Versions That Were Changed for Different Audiences
Because of censorship rules, Election has different endings depending on where you watch it. The original Hong Kong version ends with Lok getting away with murder. The mainland Chinese version (titled Dragon City Years / 龍城歲月) adds a scene where the police are waiting — Lok is arrested right after killing Big D [citation:1][citation:8].
Why It Still Matters
Election isn't just a gangster movie. It's a movie about democracy — and its failures. It's about how elections can be manipulated. It's about how the fight for power brings out the worst in people.
As one critic put it: "They've had elections long before we had elections for the Chief Executive" [citation:3]. The film was a sharp satire of Hong Kong's political reality.
It was also a commercial and critical success. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes [citation:1]. It won Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay at the Hong Kong Film Awards [citation:7].
Final Thought
Election is a film about two men fighting over a stick. But it's also a film about the failure of honor, the price of ambition, and the silence that follows violence.
There is no justice in this world. Only winners and losers.
Full movie in Cantonese with Chinese subtitles
Have you seen Election? Which ending do you prefer — the Hong Kong original or the mainland Chinese version? Let me know in the comments.
Tom De · The Movie Prince 🎬
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