Written by: Bill Dubuque

Directed by: Gavin O’Connor

Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal

Running Time: 128 minutes

Read The Accountant review below:

Plot

Despite being a child with special needs, Christian Wolff has a knack for numbers. He grows up to cook the books for big names in the market, but his latest client brings in a whole new dimension to his job.

Cooking the Books

Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a particularly gifted person – due to his high-functioning autism, he has rare skills when it comes to cooking books – but that’s not it. He also had a sadistic military man for a father, who taught him how to fight back even before he knew he was different. This turned him into a formidable assassin as well.

Numbers weren’t the only things he crunched.

Today, he manages the finances for some of the biggest names in the criminal world.

His career is closely observed by Ray King (J.K. Simmons), who heads the justice department at Treasuries. King appoints Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), an analyst with a dark past of her own, to track down ‘The Accountant’.

Wolff, realizing that the authorities are closing in, decides to avoid attention by picking up a job for a genuine client – a robotics company which suddenly has millions of dollars missing.

Assisted by Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick), the accountant at the firm who first realized that there was money missing, Wolff uncovers an ulterior plot surrounding him. He must now fight to protect his existence, and that of the ones he loves.

The O’Connor Account

The film has been a highly anticipated one. To give credit where it’s due, the premise of the movie is highly fascinating. Director Gavin O’Connor (Warrior, Pride & Glory) does a respectable job in bringing out the best with what he is given – a good cast, solid premise and half-decent action sequences.

The part that doesn’t let the movie soar is the screenplay by Bill Dubuque. He tries too hard to mix multiple sub-plots. We have family drama and action infused to create an average display. What the movie does well is create an enthralling character in Christian Wolff; an autistic badass as the lead was always going to be a prospect to watch out for.

Unfortunately, every other character is underwritten and the story as a whole isn’t impactful enough.

Speaking of impactful, other aspects of the movie that lacked any sort of impact were the revelations. Even the ones who couldn’t pick up on the suspense wouldn’t be too surprised at what they discover. The DoP has put in some good work.

The music by Mark Isham hits all the right notes, but the shortcomings in the plot don’t let them extend their wings too far.

Big Ben

Ben Affleck (Argo, Gone Girl) has had a very busy year. And his performances keep improving with every stint. After proving a lot of critics wrong about being cast as Batman, Affleck, not known for his wide range of emotions, uses that to his advantage to play Wolff. His natural ability lets him distance himself as a character, which works wonders.

The most powerful of the supporting cast, from a personal standpoint, was Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air, Pitch Perfect). She portrayed a bubbly and charming Dana Cummings with ease. Another solid character was that of Brax, played by an inspiring Jon Bernthal (Fury, Sicario). It was a role that’s very close to his Punisher, with a twist of cocky.

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Spider-man) got another gig as himself – well, not technically but the character wasn’t too far off. A welcome presence on screen was Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Colombiana, Star Trek Into Darkness) whose character could’ve been exploited further.

Other noticeable performances included cameos from Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, The Hangover), John Lithgow (Dexter, Interstellar) & Jean Smart (Fargo, Garden State).

 

All in All

The Accountant is a fun action flick, especially considering the recent dry spell of movies in the genre, but fails in a lot of areas.

This makes the end product a broken promise.

The positive aspects of the movie do however, make this worth a watch. The film offers some sort of innovation in terms of lead character and sub-plots. Let’s hope that Christian Wolff returns for a sequel.

Watch it if you’re: In the mood for an action flick OR a fan of Ben Affleck.

Did you enjoy the Accountant review? What did you think of the film? Tell us in the comments below.

You’ll love: Workout Gear That Acts As Your Personal Trainer & Should You Watch It? Inferno Review