Scott Adkins returns to the role he was born to play, in this incredibly fun sequel – strap yourself in!
If you did watch the 2018 original, you will be familiar with Mike Fallon (Adkins), a hitman who uses cleverly designed accidents to take out his targets, if you didn’t it’s explained via voice over that he has escaped to Malta, after killing half of his crew, in retaliation for his girlfriend’s murder. He’s having a great time until his old friend Fred (Perry Mason) shows up looking for an Internet date, only to get kidnapped by Mike’s boss Mrs Zuuzer (Flaminia Cinque) who tasks Mike with protecting her useless son Dante (George Fouracres) from the mother of all hits. This attracts the wacky and weirdest hitmen and women from across the world.
The film takes a little too long to kick into gear – the first act is taken up by Sarah Chang’s Siu-ling, performing a kind of ‘Kato’ service, attacking Mike when he least expects, a fun idea but overcooked, and there is some reliance on shoddy CG at times. Once the hit is open, however, the film wallops you in the face, with frantic bloody fights, funny dialogue, and a relentless pace. The hitmen are all good value, from a vampiric African to a clown with a giant hammer who can feel no pain. It all culminates in a magnificent end battle between Mike and ninja-like assassin Oyumi (Andy Long). Andy is best known for being a recent member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and is one of the choreographers here. He almost steals the show, displaying gravity-defying spin-kicks, lovely Kung-Fu techniques and break-neck speed. It forces Scott to up his own game and shows he can still spin kick with the best.
Accident Man is hugely entertaining, with Adkins using copious amounts of the word ‘twit’, referencing Bake Off and teaching us the value of mates. What more could we ask of him? Bring on part 3…
Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday is out now in the US