There are three movies that are contained in Triad Trilogy – 2005’s Election and Triad Underworld and 2006’s Triad Election. For fans of mobster movies, this is a no-brainer. The title can currently be purchased at online retailers for $15, which corresponds to $5 a title. The video and audio quality of each of these films does not suffer as a result. The storylines of these films are clear; while some of the tactics used in Triad Election are on the bloody side, they match well to a Godfather II or a Casino.
Johnnie To’s work on the two-film story in Election and Triad Election is utterly massive, and showcases the permanence of the underworld in the political affairs. I believe that the blend of hard-nosed gangster flick and romantic story covered in the non-related Triad Underworld works, but showcases a distinct dynamic from what was present in a Goodfellas. Each of these three titles has considerable star power; a great tactic is to look up particularly compelling actors and see the other movies in which they make an appearance.
These three films correspond to nearly five hours of footage, and the release should be used for a movie night or a mini-marathon. The presence of Election and Triad Election will fill the holes in the English versions of To’s filmography, while the diamond in the rough that is Triad Underworld sparkles at a few key points. I would like to see Palisades Tartan bundle up other films in this fashion; while there are not a large amount of special features here, the sheer amount of celluloid here more than makes up for it. Check out their website for a listing of their 2012 slate.
Rating: 8.0/10
Triad Trilogy (Blu-Ray) / 2012 Palisades Tartan / 275 Minutes / http://www.palisadestartan.com/