Set after the events of the first Accident Man film, Accident Man – Hitman’s Holiday continues the story of Mike Fallon (Scott Adkins, who looks like he’s having the time of his life). After defeating the people that had betrayed him and killed his ex-girlfriend, he is in comfortable exile in Malta (the country that does NOT make Maltesers). He still does the odd hit on the side for monetary gain and has a drink at the bar every now and again.
But at the end of the day, no matter how much he does not want to admit it, he is all by his lonesome. Well, except his baggage of guilt in which he tries to expiate himself of it thanks to the help of the enthusiastically angry Wong Siu-ling (an entertainingly ferocious Sarah Chang), who he hires to attack him as punishment. Things start to look up when Mike sees Finicky Fred (a welcomely goofy Perry Benson), who is in Malta looking for his true love and the two bond once again.
But like all good hitters, it eventually goes down the shitter as the two are thrown between a rock and a hard place as they are tasked to protect an ungrateful brat of a son Dante (played with gleeful abandon by George Fouracres) of a mafia boss Zuuzer (an aggressively sharp Flaminia Cinque) from the best assassins in the world. And on top of that, one of them happens to include Fallon’s mentor Big Ray (an imposing Ray Stevenson), who still has a score to settle with him.
Accident Man – Hitman’s Holiday is the awaited sequel to Accident Man, an action-comedy that is based on a comic book filled with oddball characters, lots of assassinations, black comedy and grisly murders. The first film (which is considered a passion project for Adkins) received good notices due to its stellar action scenes, promising world building and a great change of pace for its lead star, who explores his creative side through his unrealized comedy chops as well as screenwriting chops.
In the case of the sequel, we have a change in directors from regular Adkins collaborator Jesse V. Johnson to the Kirby Brothers (George and Harry Kirby). Best known for their short films including Dragonball Z – The Saiyan Saga, they make their feature-length directorial debut here. The final result here marks a huge improvement over the first film and is one of the best action films of 2022.
With a shorter runtime, a bigger budget and a globetrotting feel, the sequel is a step up from the first in terms of production value that transcends its low-budget roots. Free from the shackles of exposition and world building, the filmmakers are able to let loose with the action and comedy and they deliver in spades. The faster pacing does wonders with the energy of the film by maintaining the momentum of the thrills of the story at a high and makes the drama with the stakes matter when the film chooses to hit the brakes a bit.
Speaking of the stakes, Adkins and returning co-writer Stu Smalls (best known for his writing contributions in the Debt Collector films also starring Adkins) ambitiously explore the human side of being an assassin and their life outside the job. In the case of Fallon, he muses about his existence and mulls over what can fill the void in his life. While the conclusion of the arc can be seen as corny and out-of-place for some, it is quite refreshing that the emotional arc works as well as it does and it is thanks to the actors. Adkins and Stevenson commit in bringing their characters to live with verve and conviction.
Speaking of commitment, the people who are reading this review (many, I hope) are clearly wondering how the action scenes fare. Thanks to its bigger budget and a wider array of martial artists/on-screen fighters in the supporting cast, Adkins and crew have a much bigger sandbox to play in and they reap the benefits. Differing from the first film in terms of camerawork, the Kirbys opt for wide angles, smooth blocking and fast yet concise editing that adds a powerful punch to the action. The cast (some of which were involved in the fight choreography) include Sarah Chang, Andy Long, Faisal Mohammed, Beau Fowler, Zara Phythian (who is uncredited in the film due to her reprehensible sexual crimes involving children) and others; and they all bring their A-game in terms of fighting skills. Whether it is taekwondo, traditional kung fu, skilled weaponry (involving axes, knives, bow staffs, katanas, firearms etc.), jiu jitsu, boxing or just plain unbelievable feats of physicality enacted purely for cinematic panache, this is action cinema nirvana.
Much like the first film, the filmmakers have lots of fun acknowledging and honouring action cinema like the nods to Wong Fei-hung and Cato (from the Pink Panther) through Wong Siu-ling or when Adkins has his hand on a Walther PPK (James Bond’s weapon of choice) and of course, Adkins showcasing the Guyver kick which is best known from the Guyver sci-fi films. The violence is amusingly outrageous in its gallows humour. One major example involves a death through an ocular nature that is guaranteed to shock and provoke laughter and another example involves a killer clown that feels no pain which is featured in the opening scene. It is that type of film.
Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday delivers everything that it promises – an action-comedy extravaganza with lovable characters, hard-hitting action, acerbic comedy that is guaranteed to satisfy fans of Scott Adkins as well as lovers of action cinema.
Samuel Goldwyn Films will release ACCIDENT MAN: HITMAN’S HOLIDAY in theaters and on VOD and Digital October 14, 2022.