I missed Accident Man earlier this year since I was out of the country, but I finally got around to catching up on it last night. For those not aware, it’s a passion project – based on an early 90s comic strip series – from DTV action extraordinaire, Scott Adkins, who not only stars in the titular role, but also serves as producer and co-writer as well. The passion certainly shows throughout the film, which is lively, full of colorful characters, and filled with wonderfully choreographed action sequences. I don’t have much familiarity with the comic strip, but the film is fun romp, which sort of takes a low-fi John Wick style dive into the world of hitmen, but with a very distinctive British flair that owes a lot to the early works of Guy Ritchie.
It’s a bit obvious that Adkins has a bit to go in the writing department, with some occasionally odd dialogue, overuse of voice over, and some bizarre structural choices, but it’s nothing that can’t be improved upon if a sequel were to be made. And of course, those issues can be easily forgivable because the reason most action junkies go to movies like this is to experience the action, and on that front, Accident Man delivers, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of it.
The film is directed by Jesse V. Johnson, who has collaborated with Scott Adkins before. Technically, they first worked together in one of Johnson’s earlier films, Pit Fighter, but Adkins had a small role where he didn’t even do any fighting (!?!?), but it wasn’t until last year’s Savage Dog that he got everyone’s attention. It’s an excellent action film, one that builds and builds until it explodes into a climax of ruthless and shocking violence, which more than lives up to the title.
Accident Man lacks the gonzo brutality that made Savage Dog so exhilarating, but it’s still polished, handsomely made given the modest production values, and when it comes to the action, Johnson shows that he has a clear understanding of how to capture the way Adkins’ body moves within a fight. It’s all wides, few cuts, and it knows exactly what to emphasize and when for maximum impact for the audience. Johnson has come into his own the past several years, which makes only makes me anticipate his next film more, Triple Threat, which brings back Scott Adkins and Michael Jai White, who is also in Accident Man, but it also includes Tony Jaa, and Iko Uwais. The film will be out later this year.
There’s something to be said about how a large chunk of the action audience has largely steered away from mainstream Hollywood (at least up until the post John Wick action renaissance brought to us by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch), and began turning to the DTV scene in the mid 2000s. I remember when DTV action films consisted of cheap schlock, which admittedly has its own appeal, but once mainstream action films began extensively utilizing the shaky-cam technique popularized by the Bourne franchise, DTV filmmakers began to emphasize the fundamentals that the mainstream began to ignore such as choreography, clarity, economic storytelling, and classic action star presence.
This is why I’ve been a huge Scott Adkins fan since I first saw him back in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing. Not only can he deliver a kick, both elegant and brutal, like no one else out there, but he also has a likable and charismatic screen presence. He also has a keen eye for working with some great filmmakers like Jesse V. Johnson, John Hyams, James Nunn, and Isaac Florentine, all people who are able to use and capture his talents to exceptional effect.
If you’re someone who is new to DTV action films, and are interested in giving them a look, Accident Man might actually make for a good starting point. Despite it’s profane and irreverent sense of humor, it’s fairly accessible, and the action more than makes up for some of its narrative stumbles. If you like what you saw, consider checking out other Scott Adkins films like Eliminators, Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear (don’t worry, you don’t have to see the first), Close Range, Savage Dog, and one of the best DTV movies ever, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. Maybe you’ll realize these movies will scratch an itch you didn’t realize you had.
Accident Man is currently available on home media and VOD.