# Accident (2009 film)
**Accident** (意外, *Yi ngoi*) is a 2009 Hong Kong psychological thriller directed by Soi Cheang and produced by [Johnnie To](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnnie-to), in which a team of hitmen stages murders that look like accidental deaths, and its leader begins to suspect that a fatal mishap within his own crew has been arranged by someone else.[1](https://www.mediaasia.com/En/Movies/Info/53/) • [2](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/accident-2009)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 意外 (*Yi ngoi*)[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/accident-2009) |
| Director / producer | Soi Cheang (Cheang Pou-soi); produced by Johnnie To[1](https://www.mediaasia.com/En/Movies/Info/53/) |
| Writers | Szeto Kam-Yuen and Tang Lik-Kei[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/) |
| Cast | Louis Koo, Richie Jen (Richie Ren), Stanley Fung Shui-fan, Michelle Ye, Lam Suet[5](https://www.netflix.com/in/title/70124651) |
| Release | Venice Film Festival September 5, 2009; Hong Kong theatrical release September 17, 2009[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/releaseinfo/) • [7](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1202514/credits/) |
| Runtime / language | 89 minutes; Cantonese[2](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/accident-2009) • [5](https://www.netflix.com/in/title/70124651) |
| Worldwide box office | $1,215,542[7](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1202514/credits/) |
| Reception | IMDb 6.6/10 (about 4.2K ratings); Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 53% from 2 reviews[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/ratings/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yi-ngoi) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
[Louis Koo](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-koo) plays Ho Kwok-fai, called the Brain, a professional hitman who describes himself as an "accident choreographer": he kills his targets by trapping them in carefully engineered mishaps that look like unfortunate accidents but are in fact staged crimes.[1](https://www.mediaasia.com/En/Movies/Info/53/) He is plagued by guilt and by memories of his lost wife, and he is suspicious and morbid by nature.[1](https://www.mediaasia.com/En/Movies/Info/53/)
When one mission goes wrong and costs the life of one of his men, the Brain becomes convinced that this accident was itself choreographed, and that someone is plotting to eliminate him and his team. A mysterious insurance agent, Fong (Richie Jen), who happened to be on the scene of the failed hit, becomes the object of his obsession: the Brain decides that Fong must be the mastermind behind a conspiracy against him, and sets out to kill Fong before Fong can make his next move.[1](https://www.mediaasia.com/En/Movies/Info/53/) Netflix summarizes the same setup as a contract killer skilled at staging lethal accidents who fears he may be a victim of his own strategy when an accomplice dies in a mysterious mishap.[5](https://www.netflix.com/in/title/70124651)
## Production and release
The film was produced by Johnnie To's Milky Way Image Company with Media Asia Films Ltd., and written by Szeto Kam-Yuen and Tang Lik-Kei.[1](https://www.mediaasia.com/En/Movies/Info/53/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yi-ngoi) The Festival des 3 Continents describes it as [Milky Way](https://www.edgepedia.org/milky-way)'s production, directed by Soi Cheang, a prolific Hong Kong genre filmmaker who had made ten films in the previous nine years.[10](https://www.3continents.com/en/film/accident/)
*Accident* premiered at the [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival) on September 5, 2009, screened at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival) on September 13, 2009, and opened in Hong Kong and Singapore on September 24, 2009 according to IMDb's release listing; [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) gives the earliest release date as September 17, 2009 in Hong Kong.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/releaseinfo/) • [7](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1202514/credits/) It also played at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in 2009 and the IndieLisboa festival in 2010.[11](https://mubi.com/en/in/films/accident-2009) Box Office Mojo records a worldwide gross of $1,215,542, all from international markets.[7](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1202514/credits/)
## Cast and crew
The credited cast includes Louis Koo as Ho Kwok-fai (the Brain), Richie Jen as Chan Fong-chow, Stanley Sui-Fan Fung as Uncle, Michelle Ye as the Woman, Lam Suet as Fatty, Han Yuqin as Fong-chow's wife, and Monica Mok as the Brain's wife.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/accident-2009) Behind the camera, Yuen Man Fung was the cinematographer, Xavier Jamaux composed the music, and David M. Richardson edited.[11](https://mubi.com/en/in/films/accident-2009)
## Reception
On IMDb the film holds a 6.6/10 rating weighted from about 4.2K user ratings.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/ratings/) Rotten Tomatoes lists a Tomatometer of 53% from 2 critic reviews, with a Popcornmeter based on more than 1,000 audience ratings; its two sampled critics were positive, with Grant Watson of Fiction Machine calling it "a remarkable exercise in style, tension, and growing paranoia" and Dennis Schwartz awarding a B.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yi-ngoi) MUBI users rate it 6.7/10 from 209 ratings.[2](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/accident-2009)
The lovehkfilm review by Kozo judged it a quality Hong Kong film that earns its Milkyway endorsement, praising the precise tension built from small factors that may or may not go wrong around Ho, while faulting a climax that depends on several coincidences happening at once and an ending that could say more about Koo's character.[12](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/accident.html) The Festival des 3 Continents notes the film's kinship with Johnnie To's cinema and compares it to *Blow-Up*, describing the staged accidents as bravura set pieces.[10](https://www.3continents.com/en/film/accident/)
## Availability
The film has circulated on streaming services; as of mid-2026 [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) listed it as streaming on Netflix and free with ads on Zee5 in India, and Netflix carries it with [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese) audio and English subtitles.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/accident-2009) • [5](https://www.netflix.com/in/title/70124651)
## References
1. [Accident, Media Asia](https://www.mediaasia.com/En/Movies/Info/53/)
2. [Accident (2009), MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/accident-2009)
3. [Accident (2009) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/accident-2009)
4. [Accident (2009), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/)
5. [Watch Accident, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/in/title/70124651)
6. [Accident (2009) release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/releaseinfo/)
7. [Accident, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1202514/credits/)
8. [Accident (2009) ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/ratings/)
9. [Accident, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yi-ngoi)
10. [Accident, Festival des 3 Continents](https://www.3continents.com/en/film/accident/)
11. [Accident (2009), MUBI (India)](https://mubi.com/en/in/films/accident-2009)
12. [Accident (意外) (2009), lovehkfilm](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/accident.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2005–2009 films › Released 2008 to 2009*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license