Review of The Accountant (2016) by Dburkeg — 15 Oct 2016

I am 54 and have seen quite a lot of action movies. There are years in which I saw over 100 in the theater. Once in a while there is a film that seems to have everything going for it, but it comes across flat. Other films, usually because of the lead actor, are fun to watch even though they really are not good films. The Accountant is an excellent film because everything about it is good. The Equalizer was a straightforward gem, not really imaginative, but perfectly executed. John Wick was top notch with some new elements, and the new elements pushed it above most of the genre. The Accountant gives us a perfectly crafted protagonist. We get to know why he is the way he is. He is created in this film and the process of learning his back ground is not damaging to the movie. The back story is not senseless or drawn out. The action is solid and real. I find overblown action quite entertaining, but this isn't that sort of film. There is still plenty of action, and frankly, a lot of the film that is not action is so well shot, acted, and edited, that I was completely engaged as if it was one good chase scene after another.

Why so many bad reviews? They wanted a different movie. One professional wanted more action. Another was left cold by the fact that this film is abnormally complicated for an action movie. They want Taken or Lethal Weapon. Frankly I am a bit surprised. Critics usually watch SO MANY films that they pan decent films because they offer nothing new. They are just like a hundred other films. Critics often lead us astray by recommending pretty mediocre films that are being recommended because they are telling a story seldom told, or doing it in a new way, not because it is actually an excellent film. This film should have been right up their alley, but I guess a lot of them were not up to the content, simply wanted to **** or got tricked into thinking the film was going to be something else. The public seems to have understood what they were going to see and appreciated how it was done.

I ask myself a question about movies; was that movie as good as that movie could be? Was it miscast? Did the actor lack the talent for the role, or was the actor misdirected? Was the filming or editing distracting or boring? Were there logic mistakes noticed during the film, or nagging after the film? In the end, was that particular film as good as that particular film could be? If you go see Die Hard and expect to see The Matrix then you screwed yourself. It isn't the movies fault if you WANTED it to be something else. It isn't your fault if the movie failed at what it was trying to do. If the movie wasn't a story that could be good or great, then the producers made a bad choice. If it could have been great but was miscast or misdirected then shame on them. The Accountant is the perfect version of itself. Ben Affleck is perfect. The filming and editing is perfect. The cast in general is good. The little tricks and reveals of the plot/story are logical. Some people may be lost by the little tricks and reveals, but that is why there are comic books and there are novels. Not everyone is suited for everything. To bad for you that you went to the wrong movie. Both my wife and I missed a plot point. When we said "Oh, that was explained by, or really was, X." to each other, we were even happier with the film. The strings we thought were left untied, were neatly tied off after all. This is an action movie, not Citizen Kane. It is not some new adventure like the original Star Wars. Don't expect to be mesmerized. See this film expecting to watch a film worthy of your attention.