“They’ve had elections long before we had elections for the Chief Executive,” said a policeman in an early scene of director Johnnie To’s gangster epic. Depicting a civil war for the top spot of a fictional triad society, To gives an amazingly comprehensive portrait of life in a typical triad society, including the generational conflicts, the precarious power balance between the triads and the police, and even real triad rituals. At the same time, the award-winning film is also a satire of contemporary Hong Kong politics, showing us that even in a civil, democratic society, victory only comes from trading favors and holding the biggest weapon.