Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday
Action-comedy sequel ups the ante on its predecessor.
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I’m a Scott Adkins stan. The British martial artist/actor probably coulda and shoulda been James Bond or Batman. He’s made quite the impression in the direct-to-video action world with films such as “Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing,” “Undisputed 3: Redemption,” “Ninja: Shadow of a Tear,” “Close Range,” “Boyka: Undisputed,” “Savage Dog,” “The Debt Collector” and “Avengement.” Even when the movies aren’t good, Adkins consistently is.
Adkins’ passion project “Accident Man” (based off the comics from Pat Mills and Tony Skinner) came to fruition in 2018, but I didn’t much care for the picture. Thankfully, Adkins had a second bite at the apple with “Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday” (now in select theaters and available on VOD) and it’s a marked improvement.
Adkins returns to the role of Mike Fallon, a hatchet man who makes his hits look like accidents – hence the title. Fallon burnt a lot of bridges at the conclusion of the first picture by killing a client and a litany of rival assassins (among them fellow DTV superstar and frequent Adkins co-star Michael Jai White), which effectively shuttered the business belonging to his surrogate father/employer Big Ray (one-time Punisher Ray Stevenson).
Fallon f*cks off to Malta for a little sun, fun and R&R – but try as he might – he can’t stop clipping people for cash. The arrival of Fallon and Big Ray’s mutual friend and Q surrogate Finicky Fred (Perry Benson) only exacerbates the hitman’s bankrolled bloodlust.
When Dante Zuuzer (George Fouracres) – the loser son of mob queenpin Mrs. Zuuzer (Flaminia Cinque) – survives a botched hit perpetrated by Big Ray and made to look like the work of Fallon, she forces the Accident Man to protect her child by keeping Finicky Fred as collateral. If one hair on Dante’s head is harmed, it’ll be lights out for Finicky Fred.
“AM: HH” is edited and directed by brothers George and Harry Kirby and written by Stu Small (who exclusively pens Adkins efforts). It’s like a Guy Ritchie crime caper by way of a Hong Kong kung fu flick. The fights designed by Adkins, George Kirby and Hung Dante Dong are exhausting, exhilarating, plentiful and varied. Adkins kicks up his cockney accent and trades kicks with a clown (Beau Fowler), a vampire (Faisel Mohammed) and women (Sarah Chang, Zara Phythian). The Kirby’s editing and Richard C Bell’s cinematography work in lockstep with the performers resulting in some of the year’s best fight sequences.
Adkins is Adkins and is awesome, but I left the film hugely impressed by Chang (she’s the heir apparent to Michelle Yeoh and needs her own starring vehicle ASAP) and Andreas Nguyen as Oyumi (this dude’s faster than fast – I’m talking Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Donnie Yen quicks here, folks).
“AM: HH” throws a bunch of sh*t at the wall and sees what sticks. (Sometimes quite literally, things get a little scatological for my liking.) It’s a morally reprehensible bit of dumb fun that’s sure to appease fans of Adkins’ while simultaneously shining a big, bright light on some vibrant new performers.