Review of The Accountant (2016) by Doreen S — 31 Dec 2016

The Accountant cooks the books for some of the biggest criminals on the planet. His clients pay him big bucks for his services until one wants him dead. That is the point when things turn interesting.

I'll watch me some Ben Affleck any day of the week. Actually I had been planning to see a different movie, but when I saw the listings the mind was changed in an instant.

When I first heard they are shooting a movie called The Accountant I was ever so slightly confused. Why would anyone make a movie about the most boring profession on the planet? Why would you make a movie that sounded ... well ... boring?

Now I know!

Rest assured, there is no boredom to be found in anywhere near this film. Not even close to boring. In fact its one of the best movies I have seen this year so far. It has never been more fun to watch a criminal go about his business whilst rooting for him to make it to the other side of the story in one piece.

The Story.

Christian Wolff is a forensic accountant, who operates out of a small office in small town, no where. He is cooking the books for some of the biggest criminals on the planet. How he got into this line of business will be forever a mystery, but he seems to be good at his job and his clients pay him big bucks for his services. And they have not killed him yet, which has to mean something.

Rough Childhood.

As a child he was diagnosed with high functioning autism, which lead eventually to his mother leaving him, his brother and his father, a military officer. His father believed that autism could be overcome by physical exercise and so he arranged for his sons to be trained in different martial arts throughout their childhoods. His only constant throughout this trauma was his brother, who trained with him. He was sometimes the only only who could bring young Christian down from his outbursts.

As Adult.

As an adult Wolff is taking jobs given to him by a mysterious computerised voice. Behind the voice seems to be a person who knows him extremely well and looks out for him. The voice gets him his latest job that brings him to a company that produces robotics with an application on humans who lost their limbs. A lot of money has gone missing and they need to find out who took it.

At the same time the National Treasury Agency has set their eyes on Wolff. They start an investigation into his business and whereabouts.

While he is at the robotics company he works together with the house intern accountant who found the gaps in the finances, Dana Cummings. Thanks to Wolff's OCD of having to finish a task before he can relax, he quickly discovers that $ 61 million US dollar were filtered out of the company. Then people end up dead and all of a sudden he and Dana find themselves running for their lives, when a hitman enters the scene. They form an uneasy alliance and get as close as Wolff's condition will let them be. He feels very protective of her. In his attempt to guard her he often goes against the advice of the computer voice. The movie ends in a big showdown and a family reunion.

Who is Who.

Ben Affleck plays the title role of the autistic Christian Wolff. I suppose his experience he gained while of shooting action scenes for Batman Vs Superman came in handy for The Accountant. The fight scenes looked incredibly smooth and he was very convincing.

Wolff's detached persona is brilliantly offset by the incredibly talented Anna Kendrick. I really enjoy watching her. She has a completely unique style that I find fascinating and endearing. With her quirky attitude she offers the perfect balance point to the cold and detached character that Ben Affleck plays.

The Accountant is a movie that has it all. Substance and drama. Action and comedy. There are several scenes of very dark humour in the movie, that had the cinema in stitches.

The characters are interesting and the story moves along swiftly. It's entertaining from start to finish and fun to watch. I know the movie got a lot of slack from the critics. I really don't understand why. One would guess they didn't have anything else to moan about that day. I certainly liked the movie and so did everyone else I spoke to, who had seen it.

Last thoughts.

Ben Affleck is like a bottle of good wine. Her was good when he was young, but he certainly improved to greatness with age. The turning point came with Argo. Since then he hasn't really set a foot out of place. Just think of Gone Girl and Batman Vs Superman. I can't wait to see his next movie which will be Live By Night, I believe. I saw the trailer and I can't wait to see the movie. And lets not forget that Batman Returns one day. Ugh exciting!