Fridae

Much have been said and written about the general decline of Hong Kong cinema. Yet if one were to look at its stable of action directors, one would see many exciting talents emerging or evolving over the years, including Johnnie To (The Mission, Election), Benny Chan (Divergence, Connected) and the dynamic duo of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak (Infernal Affairs, Confession of Pain). 

The latest name to add to this list is Soi Cheang whose new and very good crime thriller Accident distinguishes itself from other actioners by having no guns. That’s right, no guns. The ingenious story revolves around Louis Koo who leads a crew of assassins who kill people by staging elaborate fatal “accidents”. Because these “accidents” are so very well-planned, the cops never suspect foul play.

The only person who starts to become suspicious is Louis himself. He thinks that his crew members as well as a rival team of accident-makers may be trying to stage a fatal accident for him… 

Cool, smart and very stylish, Accident is produced by action maestro Johnnie To and aided by a production team from To’s Milkyway company. It’s no wonder then that Accident looks and feels absolutely slick and solid – a far cry from director Soi Cheang’s interesting but stylistically erratic previous films Dog Bite Dog and Shamo. To may have helped Soi unify and refine his vision into one terrific through-train of a thriller.

Fans of Hong Kong cinema would do well to catch this one.