While on his work break he notices a couple of guys that just don't seem right somehow. On a hunch he follows them and discovers they are there to commit a robbery. As he follows them at one point they all end up in an elevator with a woman who has no idea what is happening. Thus ensues a very good and quite amusing scuffle in the elevator. The dramatic fight with the thieves is played on TV which gets the attention of more than one person.

One night he happens to meet a private detective named Liu (Eric Tsang) who manages to worm his way into Bei's home. He is an orphan who knows nothing of his family and was raised in an orphanage. But Liu convinces him he is really the son of a rich Korean who is dying and wants to see his son. His supposed father likes to play head games and tells him of a killer virus (anthrax variation that causes lung cancer?). More important to Bei is the money his father promises to him, but there is a caveat--he has to find it! His hunt takes him to Korea and Turkey. He meets a reporter who is investigating the virus mystery. Bei initially is not enthusiastic but they become partners in the "game". The closer he gets to his prize the more people seem to be after him. He meets an unusual women who seems to be trying to tell him something but she is involved with a very bad guy who deals in high end theft and drugs. She accompanies Bei to Turkey where they are swept into the locals misery and rage over the death of the people killed by the virus. The virus has the potential to kill hundreds of thousands of people. The stakes are high--life or death.

Will he be able to find the virus and his financial fortune? What happens next is up to him.

The last half hour is devoted to some intense action involving multiple people and various forms of transportation! Just when you think the movie is coming to an end something else happens on top of the original! The reporter seemed bored and must have filmed parts of scenes on one date and finished on another. Her constantly changing hair color is a tad annoying.

It was obvious Jackie was doubled in some scenes. He needs to forget about what he cannot no longer do and focus on all his other numerous talents! His acting needs some work--even Jet Li took acting lessons! Act or action, Jackie needs to do what looks good, not what he thinks he must be doing. Somehow he seems to have lost that perspective.

This movie does in several aspects seem like another version of "Who Am I?", but it is not quite as good. Jackie doesn't seem to be putting much effort into acting and some of the puzzle is too easy to solve. The fights are okay but nothing special. However the action filled ending redeems the film. Although I was getting kind of sick of the whole thing.

There are more than a few similarities between "Who Am I?" and "Accidental Spy".

The writers must have decided to reuse bits that made WAI such a hit. Unfortunately that was not the end result. Still it's a good movie and definitely worth owning to watch a few times.

* Regarding different versions: This review refers to the HK version. There is also a US version. Don't go for the US DVD! Another thing "Who Am I" shares with this movie is the total destruction of the film due to butchered, nonsensical editing! Even worse they changed scenes around just as in "WAI"? It totally destroys the movie and will leave fans confused and disappointed. Whoever edits these films seems to have no particular reasoning, just slice here cut there.

* There is also a DVD "The Making Of The Accidental Spy." This is not on the version of the movie I have. It interviews the main stars, shows a few tricks of the trade in stunts and also has Andy Lau singing the song that was played at the end of the movie with ALL those credits.

Bottomline is that I really enjoyed it. The film travel from HK to Korea to Turkey and effortlessly picks up the local flavor as it goes along. Oh, and the music is nice, too! A lot of 'ethnic' percussion - It has some flair. Regarding the action scenes, they are better than expected considering all the complaints. The Jackie fights are here. They have the timing and rhythm we've all come to know and love (esp since no one else in Hong Kong seems to be able figure out the rhythm anymore - See all the 'continuous flailing' in Skyline Cruisers, China Strike Force, etc, etc.). The problem is that the numerous fight scenes are rather short. If they had included a massive showstopper fight like that in Who Am I? then no one would be complaining. Hell, if they had, this would be a better film than Supercop. Instead, the final battle is replaced with a big truck stunt/action scene that is "just" good. I expected it to be boring, but it really is tense with one or two moments that surprised and shocked me. Contrast this with Thunderbolt, whose 15 minute+ racing finale seemed like a how-to on making boring racing scenes. So while it's a bit different from JC's usual stunt- & fight-laden movies, it does deliver a good amount of action. It's nice change of pace for JC... a JC film for the new millenium.