‘Accident Man’ DVD Review
Stars: Scott Adkins, Ray Stevenson, Michael Jai White, Ray Park, Ashley Greene, David Paymer, Nick Moran, Tim Man, Ross O’Hennessy | Written by Scott Adkins, Stu Small | Directed by Jesse V. Johnson
Not all comic-book movies have to be about superheroes… or heroes at all for that matter. Case in point: Accident Man. Originally debuting in a series of comic strips in the 90s UK comic Toxic!, Accident Man was created by Pat Mills and Tony Skinner – two legends of the UK comics scene who, beside this character, penned stories or Judge Dredd and ABC Warriors. In fact Mills is one of creators of 2000AD, a British institution that has already seen success outside of the comics realm, with numerous video games based on characters within its pages and not one but two Judge Dredd movies!
For those not familiar with the Mills and Skinner creation, Mike Fallon is a hitman, a stone cold killer and the best at what he does. Yet he’s no ordinary hitman. Instead Fallon has a very particular style of assassination: all of his jobs are completed by making it look like the target was killed simply by accident… Hence the name Accident Man.
In this iteration, Mike Fallon (Adkins) is a hitman working in London, fulfilling contracts given to him by the smarmy Milton (played in a particularly sleazy fashion by David Paymer). But when a hit is attempted on him and a former loved one is dragged into the London underworld and murdered by his own crew, Fallon is forced to rip apart the life he knew in order to avenge the one person who actually meant something to him.
What’s great about Accident Man is, right from the get-go, no matter if you’ve read the comic or not you know Mike Fallon. And that’s not because he’s a stereotypical hitma, far, far, from it in fact! You know Fallon thanks to the way the film is structured: first we see Fallon in action, the voice-over narration offering a peek into the life of a hitman – including a hilarious scene in which Fallon blows off steam by getting into more trouble – then we are shown his “crew,” the men, and woman, he hangs out with when off the clock, then we are taken along for the ride as things start to go wrong for the ever-careful, ever-prepared Fallon.
It also helps that the on-point script (co-writen by Adkins no less) allows Scott Adkins to not only kick ass but also actually act, letting him show us the charisma that has, at least in his action movies, been little seen outside of character of Boyka in the Undisputed series. Adkins is an incredibly likeable “bad guy,” really playing up the both the everyman and anti-hero aspects of the character, showcasing just why I will always, sight unseen, buy a “Scott Adkins movie.”
Adkins is also supported by a fantastic cast – a veritable who’s who of the genre – Michael Jai White and Ray Park are hilarious as a pair of ex-Special Forces hitmen, one from the US and the other the UK, who besides killing people love to bicker over which country has the best soldiers; then there’s Amy Johnston – so, so good in the likes of Lady Bloodfight and Female Fight Club – who gets to flaunt a slightly more feminine, but just as deadly, hitwoman persona: thankfully getting to go head-to-head with Adkins in something of an on-screen dream match. But it’s Ray Stevenson, as Mike’s mentor and leader of the motley gang of hitmen who hang out at his “pub”, Big Ray, who’s the star of the show. he gets to not only act the badass hard-man but also gets all the best comedic lines, delivering them in such a droll fashion that they’re made even more hilarious!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Scott Adkins is the man. He never disappoints. Never. His charisma is off the charts, his fight work is impeccable and you can see that he gives it his all no matter the character or the film. It’s probably why he’s almost single-handely keeping the DTV action genre alive…
Yet he shouldn’t be.
Films like Accident Man should be MORE than just direct to DVD affairs. This is a fantastic, hard-hitting, action-packed and funny action film that, in an ideal world, would have received the same treatment Keanu Reeves’ John Wick movies did – given a highly-praised theatrical release that found an audience in not only action fans but a mainstream cinema-goers too.
Accident Man is out on DVD now from Sony.
