Triad by-elections prove no less malicious than those held in modern democracies as candidates and their supporters vie for supremacy by any means necessary in Johnnie To's "Election."

To, whose post handover work has included every genre under the sun but has been dominated by action pictures, gritty crime films, heroic bloodshed, and violent dramas is rarely a bore though he's only occasionally compelling. Here he hands over the wheel to the film's stars; the two candidates whose ying and yang personalities steer the dialogue-driven drama around many a pothole, narrow lane, and sharp turn.

The ever interchangeable Simon Yam is Lam Lok, a cool-under-fire single father whose election to the Chairman of the Wo Sing Society will surely mean longevity and prosperity for the triad.

Lam's opponent Big D (Tony Leung Ka-fai, who inhales the screen every time he's on it) by contrast is a hotheaded loud mouth who has the heart of a weasel and wears his cunningness on his sleeve.

Fanboys of kitschy stylized action (not unlike To's own "Fulltime Killer") will no doubt be bored to tears with this enticing triad entry whose violence is savage but sparse.

Louis Koo co-stars in what really is nothing more than an extended cameo and Shaw Brothers veteran David Chiang turns up as a Chief Inspector of Police.