Triad and tested: The Wo Sing society show cowardice under fire in <i>Triad Election</i>.
Triad and tested: The Wo Sing society show cowardice under fire in <i>Triad Election</i>.

Election (Hak Se Wui)/Triad Election (Hak Se Wui Yi Wo Wai Kwai)



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

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.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
5 of the most-popular Airbnb locations in Dubai

Bobby Grudziecki, chief operating officer of Frank Porter, identifies the five most popular areas in Dubai for those looking to make the most out of their properties and the rates owners can secure:

• Dubai Marina

The Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence are popular locations, says Mr Grudziecki, due to their closeness to the beach, restaurants and hotels.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh482 to Dh739 
Two bedroom: Dh627 to Dh960 
Three bedroom: Dh721 to Dh1,104

• Downtown

Within walking distance of the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and the famous fountains, this location combines business and leisure.  “Sure it’s for tourists,” says Mr Grudziecki. “Though Downtown [still caters to business people] because it’s close to Dubai International Financial Centre."

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh497 to Dh772
Two bedroom: Dh646 to Dh1,003
Three bedroom: Dh743 to Dh1,154

• City Walk

The rising star of the Dubai property market, this area is lined with pristine sidewalks, boutiques and cafes and close to the new entertainment venue Coca Cola Arena.  “Downtown and Marina are pretty much the same prices,” Mr Grudziecki says, “but City Walk is higher.”

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh524 to Dh809 
Two bedroom: Dh682 to Dh1,052 
Three bedroom: Dh784 to Dh1,210 

• Jumeirah Lake Towers

Dubai Marina’s little brother JLT resides on the other side of Sheikh Zayed road but is still close enough to beachside outlets and attractions. The big selling point for Airbnb renters, however, is that “it’s cheaper than Dubai Marina”, Mr Grudziecki says.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh422 to Dh629 
Two bedroom: Dh549 to Dh818 
Three bedroom: Dh631 to Dh941

• Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah's proximity to luxury resorts is attractive, especially for big families, says Mr Grudziecki, as Airbnb renters can secure competitive rates on one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh503 to Dh770 
Two bedroom: Dh654 to Dh1,002 
Three bedroom: Dh752 to Dh1,152 

The%20specs
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ENGLAND TEAM

Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Company%20Profile
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Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

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The biog

Date of birth: 27 May, 1995

Place of birth: Dubai, UAE

Status: Single

School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar

University: University of Sharjah

Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Coal Black Mornings

Brett Anderson

Little Brown Book Group 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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