Accident is a crime thriller/character study hailing from Hong Kong. It is a movie that is equal parts intriguing and infuriating. I really expected to like it more than I did, but then I was not really sure what I was getting myself into. I will say that the concept worked well; where it failed for me was in the execution.
The movie presents us with a team of assassins. Rather than the usual hard-edged loner like the ones found in movies like The Professional and The Jackal, Accident presents us with a four-man team that stage their hits to look like untraceable accidents. They are very good at what they do.
We watch them as they meticulously plan and execute a job. They make sure all the bases are covered and no evidence is left behind that could be traced back to any of them. They never meet the clients face to face and they never get involved with their reasons or motivations. They simply accept the job, work it to completion, collect payment, and move on.
It is amazing to watch the team work. They are led by Brain (Louis Koo), he is a genius who plans all the jobs; his team are Fatty, Uncle, and an unnamed woman. Each works meticulously to prevent detection. However, as good as they are, mistakes can happen.
The movie's tone shifts as one job ends with an accident that leaves one of their own dead. This is where everything changes. Early in the film it is mentioned that they are not the only ones in the game and others would be eager to take their spot. Brain's paranoia begins to take over; he thinks the accident that plagued their last job may not have been an accident. His thoughts of paranoid conspiracy drive a wedge between him and the team and he begins an investigation into who may have been behind the "accident."
So, while the first half of the movie focuses on what they do, the second half focuses specifically on Brain's descent into paranoia. His descent is fast and somewhat understandable.
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