I must start with an admission: I'd never sat down to a Johnnie To film until this DVD arrived on my desk - and my fluency in Hong Kong cinema falters after the existential-cool of Andrew Lau's Infernal Affairs and Wong Kar-Wai's filmography of missed connections (the sub-pop of Happy Together being a personal favourite) have been recited.
Now, it seems, with Election and its sequel Triad Election, I'm graduating to a richly coloured - but, ultimately, unevenly drawn - set of features.
Both films revolve around the struggle for leadership in the Wo Sing society, a Hong Kong triad. On one side there is the cool-as-ice Lam Lok (Simon Yam), up against hot-headed Big D (Tony Leung, in a surprisingly oversized performance that plays well to his film's soap operatics). I wouldn't be giving much away by saying that Lok prevails, setting Big D off on a charge that involves rolling impious society members down a mountainside in coffin-like crates.
Triad Election picks up the power-play two years later with the story of the reluctant Wo Sing member Jimmy Lee (Louis Koo), sharply-suited and pretty wife in tow, who sees running for leader as merely a concession to keep his burgeoning business booming. As, however, with any sequel worth its salt, Triad Election takes its original film's starting point - the contest for primacy - and burrows deeper, taking territory of all sorts of allusions between capitalism and corruption.
It all glistens off the screen, this simmering, lurid tableau composed of Hong Kong's lowest lives. The location work in the city is exceptional, assisted by the director of photography Cheng Siu Keung's masterful widescreen camerawork that soars and circles and glides like light-play. By night, Siu Keung's Hong Kong is a bruise: a transient palette of purples, blues, browns and black, bleeding into each other with requisite messiness. No other photographer has previously dared venture so deep into the Hong Kong night, urged on by Lo Tayu's suitably discordant score that is, essentially, strumming and plucking on stringed instruments.
The first part of this film duet was in contention for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Together with its better half, they become an audacious gangster epic by a director working on a striking stage within his chosen genre. Yet, the thing is, Election and Triad Election - which do, in fact, benefit from being seen back to back - play like an extended feature that is cast solely around To's fascination for flashy, splashy, eye-popping violence. At no point do we get the mythmaking, piano/fortissimo editing of The Godfather's machine gun massacre, for example.
And there I go again. I can't help but feel To is merely doodling here. These are genre exercises - bloody and beautiful ones but still no more than handsome models for how to lose triad members and alienate people. Any story ingenuity here is left sleeping with the fishes.
@email:afeshareki@thenational.ae
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
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