Review of The Accountant (2016) by Thequietgamer — 17 Feb 2017

It's rare to see a movie succeed so fully because of it's main character. Ben Affleck's "Christian Wolff" serves as a pretty great portrait of how autistic people operate. Affleck himself gives such a great performance that viewers are able to sympathize and like Wolff almost immediately. The movie also handles itself well in it's depiction of spectrum disorders. It shows that those of us with them are not helpless or freaks. Just that their minds work differently. This gives the movie a warm and good-natured feel.

It's also a solid thriller. One punctuated by good action scenes. The plot is a tad muddled early on. Things seem to be moving without any focus. We are introduced to quite a few characters, all with different angles. The movie is so slow with it's reveals that for a significant portion of it's running time we have no idea who most of these people are or why we are watching them. The eventual reveals are satisfying and do a great job of tying everything together. It's just up until that point things can be confusing and as a result a tad frustrating. Particularly where Wolff's backstory is concerned.

The character interactions are the biggest highlight of the movie. Affleck's excellent portrayal and well-written character lead to memorable, often humorous, and occasionally touching moments with whoever is lucky enough to have screen-time with him. The most notable being his scenes with the seemingly always charming Anna Kendrick, who is just as likable as ever. There's a sweetness and genuine humor whenever these two are onscreen together that's just a treat.

Wolff is front, center, and by far the best part of the movie. Affleck is fantastic and the depiction of autism is handled very well. Although it might not be best if every movie depicts their autistic characters as elite, methodical, and almost emotional killers. The movie manages to overcome it's plot missteps and proves to be a very enjoyable experience.