Accident Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Accident Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 7, 2026

Cheang Pou-Soi's "Accident" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Chameleon Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with Cheang Pou-Soi; new video essay by critic Zach Closs; new audio commentary by critic Adrian Martin; archival cast and crew interviews; vintage promotional materials; and more. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Brain

There are four of them -- the Brain (Louis Koo, Election I & II), Fatty (Suet Lam, Exiled), Uncle (Fung Shui-Fan, The Gang Don't Shoot Straight) and Woman (Michelle Ye, Sparrow) -- and each is an expert in the art of killing. They have been staging 'accidents' for years and trying to save enough to retire.

The Brain is the master choreographer. He is the one who studies the target and designs the 'accident'. He is a perfectionist, and that is why everyone trusts him. However, the Brain does not trust anyone.

Fatty is the assistant. When the time is right, he ensures that the target stays on course until the 'accident' happens. If there are complications, he would intervene. Then, he would disappear as quickly as possible.

Woman is the decoy. She would lure the target to the location where the 'accident' must occur. Occasionally, she would assist the Brain in his research and suggest improvements. Woman has beautiful eyes and a body to die for.

Uncle is the watchman. He would inform the rest of the crew about the target’s movement, whether the 'accident' scene is safe, and prevent surprises from derailing their work. Uncle has been a heavy smoker for many years.

An easy but carefully staged 'accident' -- eliminating the son (Richie Ren, The Sniper) of a paralyzed old man -- goes terribly wrong, and Fatty is killed. The Brain immediately concludes that someone, or possibly a group of people, has staged an 'accident' for his crew. Determined to uncover who may have ordered it and why he never saw it coming, the Brain then embarks on a treacherous journey that would cost him his sanity.

Accident can be deconstructed in three very different ways, all equally fascinating. The first requires paying attention to scattered bits of information about the Brain's past. If one aligns them properly, one is supposedly allowed to solve a giant puzzle. Or, maybe not.

The second demands that one carefully deconstructs the Brain's reaction immediately after Fatty dies. Did someone really trick his crew into the perfect 'accident'? The possibilities are interesting, and so are the several curveballs that seem to be effectively redirecting to a different scenario.

The third invalidates the Brain's words and actions after Fatty's death, and instead focuses on his environment. The longer one studies it, the more unsettling it becomes, making it easy to compare Accident to some of David Lynch's popular films.

Directed by Cheang Pou-Soi (Dog Bite Dog), and produced by Johnnie To and John Chong, Accident was screened at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the prestigious Golden Lion Award. It is a member of the large family of genre films that To's production company, Milkyway Image, has popularized since the 1990s.

Accident Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Accident arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Chameleon Films.

A long time ago, we reviewed this Hong Kong release of Accident, produced by local label MegaStar. I have a copy of it in my library. It appears that Chameleon Films' release is sourced from the same master used to prepare the Hong Kong release.

I revisited Accident a few nights ago, and I thought that it still looks pretty good in high-definition. In a few places, the age of the master is starting to show, but I also think there is a lot of tricky stylization work, leaving the incorrect impression that some areas of the film should look significantly better. (One such area is the sequence with the solar eclipse). For example, sharpness can be improved, but numerous darker areas exhibit 'crushing' effects that I am convinced are on the existing master because the most serious light/lighting manipulations are intentional. For a different, more convincing presentation, the entire film will most likely have to be revisited, and a new 4K master prepared from scratch. The current master is apparently sourced from a 2K DI, so the fictional superior new 4K master will need to follow a different route, starting at the 35mm source. Currently, delineation, clarity, and depth remain pleasing, and density levels are solid. Color reproduction is fine, but the dynamic range of the visuals can be slightly more convincing. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Accident Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Cantonese LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It is a great, very potent lossless track that can impress even in areas where the main attraction is a mix of ambient effects. It is hardly surprising, because the film has a proper contemporary soundtrack, carefully mixed to impress. Also, the English translation on this release is excellent. On the old Hong Kong release I have in my library, there are quite a few errors. However, I would have preferred to see larger English subtitles, identical to the ones Criterion and Eureka Entertainment include on their releases.

Accident Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cheang Poi-Soi - in this exclusive new program, the director of Accident reveals how his professional relationship with Johnnie To and his production company Milkyway Films was initiated, and discusses the conception of his film, the casting choices that were made and what it was like to work with the principal actors, and the visual style and atmosphere of his film. (Apparently, The Conversation was a major source of inspiration). Also included in the program is plenty of raw footage from the shooting of Accident. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (31 min).

• Orchestrating Coincidence - this exclusive new video essay examines the key theme and visual style of Cheang Pou-Soi's film. The essay was created by filmmaker Zach Closs. In English. (7 min).

• The Making of Accident - this archival program presents several interviews with producer Johnnie To, Cheang Pou-So, and cast and crew members addressing their involvement with Accident, as well as raw footage from the production process. Presented in three parts. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (13 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Adrian Martin.

• Trailer - presented here is an original international trailer for Accident. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Gallery - a large collection of production still and promotional materials for Accident. Presented with music. (4 min).

• Soundtrack - Xavier Jamaux's original motion picture soundtrack is presented on a CD. 18 tracks. Total length: 41 min. (The soundtrack is included only on Chameleon Films' Limited Edition Blu-ray of Accident).

• Booklet - a 16-page illustrate booklet featuring "Murder by Misadventure" by The Fanatical Dragon, as well as technical credits.

• Cover - a reversible cover.

Accident Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In Hong Kong, a crew of highly skilled killers stage brilliant 'accidents' on demand and save their contract money, hoping to gather enough to retire in style. But when one of them dies in a freak mishap, they panic, and their paranoid leader begins an improvised, most dangerous investigation to figure out whether they may have become targets, too. In a new program, the director of Accident reveals that Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation was a major source of inspiration. However, I think that Accident shares a lot of the qualities and mimics some of the atmosphere that make David Lynch's work special. Australian label Chameleon Films also has a Limited Edition Blu-ray, which includes Xavier Jamaux's complete electronic soundtrack, presented on CD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.