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An accountant for the criminal underworld finds himself becoming hunted for reasons unknown. Unbeknownst to the guy hunting him, Christian Wolff is as good with numbers as he is with guns and his fists.
Trigger Warning(s)
Flashing Lights (Possible PSE issue?)
Characters & Story
- Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck)
For at least ten years Christian has been uncooking the books for various crime organizations and even helping common people get tax breaks. But with his latest client, Living Robotics, own by Lamar Black (John Lithgow) he finds himself not working for a bad guy but a corporation which makes futuristic prosthetics. A place which, with it going public soon, it makes one of their accountants Dana (Anna Kendrick) finding an inaccuracy a big deal. So, they bring in the best to check their paperwork for the last 15 years and while his eccentricities thanks to being a high functioning autistic person put some off, it is undeniable that he is talented.
- Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson)
Like Christian, Marybeth has a past. Hers though doesn’t deal with a borderline abusive father (Robert C. Treveiler), but it does include a similar amount of violence. However, her life is different now. She has a government job as an analyst and she tries to keep her head down. That is until the Director of Treasury Ray King (J.K. Simmons) decides to pull her file and threaten her job, and freedom, if she doesn’t figure out who the accountant is. This man who has had a significant impact on Mr. King and wants to know who this illusive man is. Thus sending her on a hunt for Christian, who covers his tracks rather well.
Highlights
- Dry Humor
While the film certainly isn’t on the level of some indie movies, being that Christian is autistic, things like sarcasm go over his head as well as certain inflections. With this comes a lot of deadpan moments which didn’t necessarily tickle me all the time, but people in the audience found it funny.
- The Batman Audition
Christian may have a limited range of emotions, but brooding is something he has down pat. Combine that with the way his father raised him, which included learning to fight by going against a grown man, and once you see the adult Christian Wolff it is like seeing an alternative take on Batman. Someone who is a little off because of all the trauma in his life, but still trying to do the right thing. Sometimes help the little guy, give bad guys a chance, and take them down when it needs to be done.
- A Rather Good Plot
I will never claim to be a Ben Affleck fan, yet it is hard to deny that he generally has good choices in roles. This movie isn’t an exception for between his plot and Marybeth’s, we have something quite good. I mean, I really loved the art of mystery used here.
In the film, you are left asking a lot of questions and, unlike many a film, and TV show, here is looking at you Mr. Robot, you get satisfying answers. Like, one of the main questions deal with who hired this guy named Brax (Jon Bernthal) and what is his motivation? Heck, what is Christian’s motivation for working with criminals is also a question? That and who is this person hooking him up with all these criminals and the list goes on and on and by the end of the film, each question receives an answer. One that, if you were paying attention, likely you already knew but that confirmation feels more so satisfying than predictable.
Oh, and lest I forget, I also liked how they worked Francis (Jeffrey Tambor) into the movie and how he connects Christian’s story to Marybeth’s and Director King. I won’t go too much into it, though.
Low Points
- The Accountant
When Christian is actually doing accounting work and speaking on his fascination with numbers, you begin to see somethings which could have shaved off this 2 hour + movie. Not to say they are so boring it is like being in a high school math class all over again. It is just, even when he gets excited, the math is complicated and kind of convoluted so while you get why it is important, at the same time you are ready for the story to move forward.
Overall: Worth Seeing
With the only issues really being those periods in between the action and Marybeth unraveling the mystery which is Christian Wolff, there is really no reason I can fathom to not recommend this. Now, will I say you need to go to the movies tomorrow and check it out? No. Go see a matinee or, if your theater is like mine, go on Tuesday when it is cheap. For while the film is definitely entertaining, there isn’t a performance within it which is awe-inspiring. It is just one of the few action movies you’ll see which isn’t overly machismo and actually gives almost every actor, including the women, some depth.
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