The Accountant
/"Do you like puzzles?"
Filmology Rating: 2.8 out of 4
Going into The Accountant I had reason to be excited. The film is directed by Gavin O’Connor, who also directed Miracle and Warrior, and it features an all-star cast which consists of Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick and J.K Simmons. The lights went down and I was on the edge of my seat hoping for a great smart thriller but sadly what I ended up watching rivaled a Saturday morning episode of Scooby-Doo.
Christian Wolff, played by Ben Affleck, is a genius mathematician who does accounting work for the worst of the worst. Wolff’s work has captured the attention of the director of financial crimes for the treasury department Raymond King, played by J.K. Simmons, who vows to do anything to track this accountant down.
I’m going to praise the film for the one redeeming aspect it has going for it, which is the cinematography by Seamus McGarvey, McGarvey has a great eye, which he has proven before with Atonement and Anna Karenina, and he uses that great eye to frame every single shot to make it look interesting even if the subject happening on screen is often lackluster. Sadly the cinematography cannot save the rest of this trainwreck.
The film relies on two twists, one of which you see coming from a mile away and the second makes every twist in Now You See Me 2 look like a Hitchcockian masterpiece. What makes a great thriller is having clues leading up to the big reveal, you don’t want to just bring up all the facts with terribly handled exposition by usually talented actors. If the twist felt earned I could handle some of the heavy-handed exposition, but it instead feels like an afterthought that is meant to make the film feel more clever than it actually is. It feels like a house of cards that is being built on a fault line just waiting for an earthquake to strike.
The film has one theme and I would like to address it while doing my best to not spoil any of the obvious twists in this film. Family is one of the biggest themes of the movie. Are you a good father? Will you stand by your family even when the world is against you? These themes might be interesting in other movies but in this one they fall flat, especially when you see how horrible of a father Chris has, played by Robert C. Treveiler. The father looks at Chris’ autism as a weakness that the world will never accept. You are also probably wondering why this is the first time I’m bringing up that the main character of the film has autism, it’s because the film rather you forget about it and just focus on the action scenes. Nonetheless Chris’ father is a terrible war-loving father who believes violence is the only way to solve his problems and that exact trait is passed on to his two sons. I personally don’t live in the world where if someone hits you, you hit back harder. That’s not a life philosophy that I use nor hope to ever.
The Accountant tries incredibly hard to be a relevant thriller that asks its audience to forget about all the problems the film has and just go along for the ride, this is a ride I would never want to get on again nor would I ever inflict this kind of boredom and stupidity onto any audience member.
Rating: Let It Burn
-Jonny G
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is the accountant….. But who is this accountant? Acting as a small town accountant, he also freelances as an accountant for some of the most wealthy and powerful criminal organizations around the globe.
I feel like it has been quite a while since I have really enjoyed movie and one that was so well rounded as a whole. We have an intriguing plot, great writing, fantastic direction, a talented cast of characters, and so much more. I thought “The Accountant” was brilliant and here are many reasons why
So who is the accountant? Ben Affleck brings Christian Wolff to life; a man who appears to be this average every day accountant who doesn’t know how to communicate very well with people. On a deeper level, he is this mathematician, a highly skilled fighter, international accountant for dangerous criminals and more. So who was this guy!?! Well that is what the story does a great job of telling you piece by piece and scene by scene. One of the best aspects of the film is how the movie takes its time. It doesn’t rush to reveal information but rather takes the time to build its characters, build the plot, and build tension and mystery as to who this man really is.
The Accountant had a plethora of actors and actresses that you'll know; people such as Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal and Anna Kendrick. Each one of them brought their A game and were fantastic. Let’s look at the accountant, Ben Affleck, in detail. After a disappointing Batman vs. Superman movie, I needed something good from Affleck and this was it. Affleck plays this autistic man who suffers to relate and connect to people. Through the help of his father growing up, he learned to live with this condition and to use it to his advantage. Yes he had autism, but he was the rain man of autism when it came to numbers. To put it simply, he was a genius and could figure out things extremely fast. Those skills combined with the skills that his military specialist father taught him, you have a combination for one powerful man. The movie did an excellent job at portraying these disabilities. Not only did it show it well and accurate, but it also showed how these “disabilities” can be blessings in disguise.
The Accountant is being marketed as an action movie. This is where a lot of people are having trouble with this film because it really isn’t an action packed film. It is a little slower at times and people seem to find fault in this. However this should not be the case! This is a very well rounded movie with an awesome blend of a little of everything. When there is action, it is very well done; intense, fast paced, brilliantly choreographed, and more. Now this is much more than an action film. I would say that it is more of a drama with action in it than an action movie with drama. This is more a story about Christian Wolff and his life than anything else. Affleck really does an excellent job of showing a conflicted man; A man who desperately wants to relate to people and be “normal”. There is a subtle romance throughout the film that is also very heartwarming. Lastly, adding to the drama, action, and romance is a surprising amount of humor. I was not expecting this at all but was very pleasantly surprised! Nothing gut busting but a lot of well written lines with subtle humor or just in the way that this Christian Wolff character goes about life. It was excellent to see how well the humor was written into the script.
The Accountant is getting a lot of mixed reviews. In my average man opinion, I think the negative reviews are misguided. If you go to the movie wanting an action packed thriller… this is not it. This is a well-rounded movie that has so much more to offer than just action. I really appreciated how this movie took its time to build. So many movies rush to give you information and force the story to unfold. The Accountant took its time to tell you just who this accountant really was. Definitely worth your time and money.
Rating: See It
-Nick