Accident Man 2018 * * * Stars

Director: Jesse V. Johnson
Year: 2018
Rated R
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Scott Adkins, Ray Stevenson, Ashley Greene

Fixedly hollow yet effervescent in its hand-to-hand combat, 2018's Accident Man is my latest review. The Accident Man persona is played by Scott Adkins. Adkins, who's in nearly every frame, commands with an ample screen presence. He's pretty hands-on in the exhaustively stingy action sequences.

So OK, "Accident" is overly violent, overly twisted, overly demented, and has a direct-to-video title. Still, it distracts the viewer by being a tad tongue-in-cheek and containing some ruffian dialogue. Plus, it has an intricate story to tell. I might be going against my better judgment but I'm gonna surrender and recommend this thing anyway.

Accident Man has director Jesse V. Johnson shooting the film with mucked up freeze-frames. He's like an unbalanced Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie on steroids. As "Accident's" poster looking like Thor: Ragnarok resonates, bones are cracked, tons of people are killed, and slow-motion, martial artistry is a mainstay.

A predominance of "Accident" is about the hitman being the inevitable hit. You've seen this before in other flicks. Johnson gives the British proceedings a mean-spirited, cynical feel. It may be off-putting at times but heck, it just works.

Accident Man's story involves one Mike Fallon (Adkins). He was bullied as a kid before he toughened up, mentored an older contract killer, and became a contract killer himself. Mike's method of offing someone involves making it look like an accident (hence the name of the movie).

When Fallon's pregnant ex-girlfriend gets murdered by someone in his own, hitmen-circled crew, he turns detective and eventually seeks vengeance. Adkins looks like Maroon 5's Adam Levine but don't worry. Looks can be deceiving. Scott is a confident badass, delivering his lines with consummate vigor while he barrels through "Accident" as if he were the only Caucasian in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. 

All in all, Accident Man is a glistening, draining thriller that may upset you. It has shots of head dismemberment, clips of double-crossing, a soundtrack mixed with RocknRolla ditties and synthesizer marks, and an off-the-grid likeness channeling Kill Bill. Yeah it's no "accident" that I kinda dug its hardcore groove. Rating: 3 stars.

Written by Jesse Burleson