No, not public or government elections.  Rather, the election of the head of a traditional Chinese gangster mob.  Johnnie To has shown in recent years that he can direct smart, political action films like Breaking News and the original Election.

There is nothing new in Triad rivalries and warfare and they are presented here in all their ruthlessness and violence – some particularly nasty hammer murders and some dismembering mentioned just in case audiences may feel squeamish. 

What is new is the increasing investigation into the relationship between the Triads and the Chinese mainland government or, at least, some of their security representatives. Our hero is such a clean-cut, good-looking seeming family man that it is difficult to think of him as a villain. 

However, he has made his fortune, to the admiration of fellow Triad members, with pirate DVDs, especially pornography, on the mainland.  Now he wants to go legitimate.  Will his conscience allow him to be elected as the Chairman?  Will the other members?  Will the Chinese government?  These are the dilemmas as we watch the internecine warfare and its cynical outcomes.

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