The Accountant (2016): Review

Written by,
Sean Wall

Hollywood is littered with movies that are based on bestsellers, a news headline, or a first-hand story. As a movie-goer, it’s a hidden gem to see a film have an original story. Why? For the simple fact that everyone watching doesn’t know any context of the movie other than what’s going on in the movie. Ben Affleck has been nothing short from busy after starring in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, he’s also directing and starring in Live By Night, suiting up again as Batman in Justice League, and now scaling back to a suit and tie as The Accountant.

Synopsis: 

Christian Wolff is a math savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Behind the cover of a small-town CPA office, he works as a freelance accountant for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. With the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, run by Ray King, starting to close in, Christian takes on a legitimate client: a state-of-the-art robotics company where an accounting clerk has discovered a discrepancy involving millions of dollars. But as Christian uncooks the books and gets closer to the truth, it is the body count that starts to rise.

With many plots, it can be told simply and decisively, but The Accountant wants to cater to the mystery action thriller that it becomes a little bit of a confusing mess if you lose track. Despite this movie being an original take on the story the mystery aspect falls short as the suspense lacks a great deal. The twists are not revolutionary but transitions into the next phase with ease.

Even with the minor hiccups this film still is able to overcome them with its stellar cast. Affleck is able to portray Christian Wolff like John Wick and Verbal (The Usual Suspect). Although he’s without his typical Bostonian charm, Affleck still maintains his autistic ticks and quirks to a minimum giving making you believe in the character on the big screen. On the other hand, we have Anna Kendrick like always she’s able to emphasize her personality to any character she plays. Honestly, it’s infectious and she adds a depth of emotional drive to Affleck’s character.

The Accountant is a standard action thriller with an original plot and solid cast that provides a good performance. Furthermore, the subplot is the catalyst that causes this movie to lose a lot of points. If writers and directors want to go down the route of originality make sure the plot isn’t a bundle of red tape. However, this doesn’t cause the film to be bad at all, but the premise of what the film could’ve been was a missed opportunity.

Rating: