A film that’s in desperate need of a (better) remake, Johnny To-produced Accident manages to completely ruin a terrific start. The opening sequence is downright delightful – a group stages murders for hire, making them seem random occurrences. These “McGyvers of murder” are set loose, with the victim subtly pushed towards his doom using normal objects in extraordinary ways. Full of Rube Goldberg-like fun, these opening reels speak to the power of the premise.
Unfortunately, it all goes seriously awry – instead of seeing the film we’re promised (competing accident-causing gangs trying to outdo one another), we’re instead treated to a disappointingly generic tale of paranoia and insanity. By the end it’s a cheap cop out, a telegraphed ending that simply deflates all the promise of the start.
I look forward to the film we were setup to see, a classic Spy vs. Spy action movie where the filmmakers don’t succumb to banal psychological exploration of their lead characters. Until then, watch Accident as a minor pleasure, more frustrating for what could have been given the materials at hand.