Seeing Scott Adkins’ name on a poster or cast list can be a matter of trepidation for action fans. Going into a blockbuster film knowing that the man’s skills will likely be wasted has been the norm since The Bourne Ultimatum. Even what amounts to cameo appearances in movies like Day Shift and Section 8 often blossom into the MVP sequences of their respective films, a void left in his absence. So it can be a treat to watch a movie that not just unleashes the deft screen fighter but also showcases his diverse knack for comedy and prickly charisma, and in that regard, Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday is a gleeful triumph of indie action.
2018’s Accident Man was helmed by action maestro Jesse V. Johnson but it was very much Adkins’ baby, with the actor also co-writing and producing the comic adaptation of vengeful assassin Mike Fallon taking on his cadre of fellow killers. That movie ended with most of said killers slain and Fallon exiled from his mentor and father figure Big Ray (Ray Stevenson). But a man’s got to make money somehow and Hitman’s Holiday drops Fallon in Malta, where the wetwork opportunities are booming.
From the opening, with its probably-wondering-how-I-got-here freeze frame on Fallon fighting a killer clown, this is a more rambunctious and zanier sequel helmed by the stuntmen-turned-directors George and Harry Kirby. A crime action comedy where the crime elements are mere support allowing those other facets to flourish, Hitman’s Holiday does indeed begin with the laid-back vibes of a vacation. A few staged-accident jobs as Adkins narrates with droll sarcasm, an apartment-wrecking ambush by hired kung fu pummeler Siu-ling (Sarah Chang), a surprise reunion with old friend and mad engineer Fred (Perry Benson): for a half hour or so, one might wonder what the actual plot is or if this is merely going to be a buddy-assassin slice of life adventure. Fans of the first film’s underworld camaraderie and more intense personal focus might sorely miss those aspects amid this follow-up’s irreverent lowbrow tone and action-first-plot-rarely style. Even the dramatic ties to its predecessor, like a welcome appearance from Stevenson to inject some fatherly disappointment into the plot, come across as tonally odd road bumps between the jokes and action.
But what action! Hitman’s Holiday eventually crystallizes into a protection mission after local crime boss Mrs. Zuuzer kidnaps Fred and forces Fallon to keep her hapless and tremendously insufferable son safe from assassins. (Harder than it sounds when the idiot has swallowed his own GPS tracker, making him a waking target and setting up a very shitty punchline.) And thus for the next hour, this becomes a relentless fight reel of the highest order: a cross-city boss rush of a film that revels in the possibilities of each new location as an arena for bloody brutal brawling. Fred, Ray, guilt over his actions in the first film, all buried in a cascade of stylishly shot and intricate choreography courtesy of Adkins, industry veteran Tim Man, and Jackie Chan Stunt Team alum Andy Long. Hitman’s Holiday knows what its fans want and delivers with furious aplomb. Each confrontation is a distinct and multistage spectacle. Mercenary Freya (Zara Phythian) enters guns-blazing for a tactical claustrophobic knife fight, while the blood-drinking Yendi (Faisal Mohammed) kicks off a hectic chase and weapons-heavy rooftop showdown.
Hitman’s Holiday saves the best for its extended fight-frenzy of a finale. Even Siu-ling gets in on the assassin action, with blistering moves worthy of being a descendant of Wong Fei-Hung and cementing actor Sarah Chang as an incredible up-and-comer to watch. Coming full circle to that madcap opening, Beau Fowler’s Poco the Clown and Andy Long’s honorable ninja Oyumi take the film’s choreo to even more dynamic heights. The former’s sadistic whimsy and cinderblock sledgehammer gives the film its ultra-violent action-gag-filled standout, while Adkins lets loose in one of the most visceral and unrelenting fights of his career against the acrobatic Andy.
Scott Adkins has rarely felt as fully formed as a performer as he does in this film. From snappy one-liners to tying up the extant drama of the first film to the ferocious action, one would be hard pressed to name a more well-rounded and pure fun showcase of the man. Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday may drown any notion of plot in blazing fist, clashing weapons and outrageous humor, but martial arts diehards and Adkins fans couldn’t ask for a film more finely tuned for their indie action dreams.
Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films
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