Fascinating plot with an interesting conspiracy theory.
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The Plot – adapted from the 2009 Hong Kong film, Accident – is a Korean crime thriller directed and written by Lee Yo-sup. It tells the story of a contract killer who orchestrates the perfect accidental deaths of his targets, also called a “Designer”. The film is supported by a strong cast – Gang Dong-won, Lee Mi-sook, Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Don-hwi, Tan Jun-sang, and Lee Moo-saeng, who bring strong performances to 100 minutes of intense action.
Yeong-il (Don-won) plans, executes and manipulates his murders as accidental deaths without the use of lethal weapons. Yeong-il works with a team comprising Jackie (Mi-sook) a seasoned veteran, Wol-cheon (Hyun-wook), a cross dresser and master of disguise and Jeom-man (Jun-sang) the youngest team member.
The film opens with a gripping beginning, aided by intense discordant background sounds which builds the tension and adds to the intriguing story unfolding. The first few scenes provide an insight into the paranoid nature of Yeong-il as he grapples with the loss of his close team-mate Jjaknun (Jong-suk) in a car accident a year ago. He suspects Jjaknun was killed by a larger contract-killing group which he refers to as the “Sweepers”.
We are privy to and are able to marvel at the clockwork precision and flawless teamwork of the “Designers” when they effectively carry out a planned accidental killing at a worksite in a public space. The police eventually closes the case as an unfortunate accidental death caused by the victim’s failure to take note of caution signage when entering the worksite.
Shortly after, Yeong-il receives a new request in which the target is Joo Seong-jik (Hong-pa), an influential figure and a powerful prosecutor general nominee who is currently embroiled in a slush fund scandal ostensibly by his deceased wife. The media and authorities relentlessly hound both father and daughter when it is revealed that the beneficiary of the slush fund is the daughter, Joo Young-seon (Eun-chae). As a result, this new mission is highly dangerous as the slightest mistake can lead to the discovery of their involvement and put their identities at risk.
As the team takes on the new case, Yeong-il becomes increasingly obsessed with his conspiracy theory involving the “Sweepers” in other high level contract killings and the death of his teammate Jjaknun. Further complications comes from Hauser (Dong-hwi), a hacker and Yang Kyeong-jin (Shin-rok), a detective in the Accident Investigation Department at the Seoul Central Police Station, creating issues for Yeong-il and his team at every turn. As the film progresses, Yeong-il soon suspects that Lee Chi-hyeon, (Moo-saeng), the General Manager of Banwol Insurance works with the “Sweepers”.
Adding to the danger, it soon becomes evident that the “Sweepers” do exist and are involved in the same case targeting the daughter. While the team narrowly manages to execute the contract killing of the father, Seong jik, all hell immediately breaks loose from this point on. Their existence is threatened, and all their lives are in imminent danger at each twist and turn. It is clear to the audience that the hunters have now become the hunted, as they fight to survive from unseen foes.
The film keeps the pace tight and escalates towards the end as it unveils sinister conspiracies under more conspiracies. It makes the audience feel the chaos, loss of faith in finding the truth, and the overwhelming paranoia of Yeong-il. It also leaves one feeling perplexed with its questions left unanswered.
While each cast member pulls their own weight, Gang Don-won deserves special mention for his excellent portrayal of the main protagonist, Yeong-il, who started off as a collected and cold killer but who eventually gets overwhelmed by paranoia and helplessness when his emotional threads start fraying by the ensuing turn of events.
The Plot is based on an intriguing premise: that the seemingly mundane events and accidents of everyday life like crossing the road, waiting at a bus stop, walking under a signage, are mere facades for intricate schemes, where what appears as an inexplicable freak accident might actually be a masterfully orchestrated setup by a contract killer. Really makes one wonder: maybe some accidents are carefully planned eliminations disguised as unfortunate events. People could just be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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