The Accountant
The Accountant makes for a solid, yet unremarkable, action flick that can’t live up to its higher aspirations.
Diagnosed with a bod of high - function autism as a child , Christian Wolff ( Ben Affleck ) possesses frightful skills and abilities . He ’s able to discharge jigsaw puzzle upside down and has a groovy understanding of complex mathematical problems . Christian ’s prowess with numbers leads him into a calling as an controller , where he manage the monetary resource for some of the world ’s deadliest vicious organizations . His activities draw in the care of Treasury Department agentive role Ray King ( J.K. Simmons ) , who assigns his fellow Marybeth Medina ( Cynthia Addai - Robinson ) to track Christian down so he can take the accountant ’s many secrets .
With the authorities live on his dog , Christian decides to take on a legitimate client , concord to uncook the ledger for a state - of - the - art robotics company that recently found a sizable discrepancy in their record . As Christian work to unscramble the mystery surrounding it , a plot of furiousness unfolds around him , squeeze Christian to bank on his superior scrap training for fight for his own survival and protect the lifespan of the clients he ’s become secretive to .
Directed by Gavin O’Connor ( Warrior),The Accountantis a film that ’s attracted a considerable amount of attention due to its premiss and characterisation of autism in a mainstream action picture . The hope going into it was that it could proffer Affleck an intriguing vehicle while also being respectful ( and not exploitive ) of people who suffer from the real - life impairment . In that respect , the movie is mostly successful . The Accountantfeatures a secure performance by Affleck , but it ultimately come off as an underdeveloped , generic genre picture .
The screenplay by Bill Dubuque ( The Judge ) is a motley bag . On the irrefutable side of the spectrum , it craft a very fascinating master character in Christian ; someone who has difficulties socializing and " fitting in " even though he desire to . The Accountantis at its most entrancing when he is on - screen , as it ’s interesting to watch Wolff ’s daily number and how he oppose to various scenario . Dubuque also clear effective function of flashbacks to highlight key mo from Christian ’s youth , fleshing the film ’s guinea pig out in ways that make him relatable and sympathetic . Robert C. Treveiler make the most of his brief screen time in these sequences as Christian ’s sire , dishing out important life sentence lesson while seek to superintend a tough and extraordinary situation . All in all , Christian is a compelling figure , and some spectator would probably be interested in seeing him turn back in a subsequence .
Of course , part of the credit there has to go to Affleck , who fork out one of the better performances in his life history . The actor comes across as fittingly emotionally distant , using that trait as a dandy asset . When Affleck is in accountant musical mode , his turn is genuinely disarming and endear , as he ’s able-bodied to drop in here and now of levity with his comedic timing and spell . Affleck develop good chemical science with Anna Kendrick , who has a supporting role as the bubbly and chipper Dana Cummings . Their left over couple dynamical features some fun fundamental interaction and moment , and it would have been nice to see the two together more often . And as he demonstrated inBatman V Supermanearlier this year , Affleck is also more than capable of handling the necessary action chip , transforming into a ruthless and efficient killer who would give John Wick a political campaign for his money .
WhereThe Accountantfalters is that it essay to balance too many musical style at once . There ’s constituent of a fractured family drama , the tale of a " different " someone trying to find his plaza in a cruel world , offense , activity , and even romantic - funniness . The problem is that Dubuque does n’t totally develop many of these fully , so the goal event fall across as a bit undercooked and not as impactful as it could have been . Though Christian and Dana make for a nice distich , their relationship could have benefit from being explored further to make the arc more cheering . In addition , The Accountantthrows in some plait and turns towards the end , but the revelations are n’t as affecting as they could have been . To be fair , they are somewhat successful at drawing a reply from the consultation , but some viewing audience may feel the story is messy and convenient .
As state above , Kendrick is one of the standouts of the supporting mould , suck on her natural power and talent to play Dana . The role is n’t on the button a stretch for the actress , but she gets the job done and even have demand in the action in a creative mode . Jon Bernthal also shines as the gun for hire Brax , offer the film with one of its more well - labialise characters . It ’s a treat to check him perform due to Bernthal ’s magnetic filmdom presence . Brax is unpredictable when he ’s imperil his targets , leaving spectator on the tips of their toes . In some scenes , the actor lift what ’s on the page , interpose the function with the necessary lordliness to truly take up audiences in . Simmons does n’t have much to do as King , but he pay a typically commit tour as an authoritative presence . John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor make glorify cameos and are fine in their parts , but the script does n’t allow much for them to chew on either .
In the ending , The Accountantmakes for a solid , yet unremarkable , activity flick that ca n’t live up to its higher aspirations . It earns point for mixing up the formula by having an autistic pundit be the " hero , " but stops short of realizing its full potential . O’Connor has a stiff hand in directing , craft well - realized action coiffure pieces and come skilful performances out of his cast , but the screenplay is ultimately what lets the moving picture down . Those who were intrigued by the marketing should be able to enjoyThe Accountant , and it ’s worth agree out during a slow time at the box situation . However , cinephiles expecting a next - stratum " Good Will HuntingmeetsJason Bourne " hybrid might be a tad let down .
Trailer
The Accountantis now playing in U.S. theaters . It incline 128 minute and is rate gas constant for strong violence and language throughout .
Ben Affleck stars as Christian Wolff in the military action thriller The Accountant , directed by Gavin O’Connor . A numerical genius who connect more with his study than others , Christian self-employed person as a CPA for various condemnable organizations to get by . However , when Christian starts to pull the undesirable aid of a Treasury broker , he attempts to go direct with a mellow - profile client – but his faultless analytical skills uncover a financial variance that dangerous multitude mean to keep hide out .
Anna Kendrick and Ben Affleck in The Accountant
Anna Kendrick and Ben Affleck in The Accountant
