Directed by Gavin O'Connor, "The Accountant" tells the story of an autistic male who happens to be a math savant and freelance accountant for some of the world's biggest and baddest crime organizations. Growing up autistic, Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) found himself boxed out from the rest of the world because he was "different." No matter how badly he wanted to connect with others, he couldn't, and that worried his father (Robert C. Treveiler), who wanted him to defend himself against any bullies he would encounter in the future.
For a while, Christian learned how to fight with some of the world's best trainers, and soon enough he became an absolute machine. Many years later, he finds himself doing business with the wrong company and attracts attention (the wrong kind). While the Head of the State Treasury (J.K. Simmons) and one of the best hitmen on the black market (Jon Bernthal) track him down, Christian makes a new friend in Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick) and unsuspectedly falls for her which makes her a target for the hitman. Christian finds himself in a tough dilemma. Stay and protect her, or travel away in search of a new identity.
Ben Affleck portrays Christian Wolff (diagnosed with Asperger's) perfectly in this movie. The way Affleck handled the performance was absolutely fantastic. There were many scenes where I was intrigued by how this certain character behaved. From moments where he abused himself while listening to heavy metal, to moments where he was barely able to make conversation with a person. He also nailed down the badass side of Christian when it came down to the dirty work. The performance was so well delivered that there were times in the movie when I would be at the edge of my seat rooting his character.
Anna Kendrick played Dana Cummings. Dana was paired with Christian to perform a certain task for some bad people about halfway through the movie. During that time, the movie kicks off, and this is where Kendrick starts to shine. She was perfectly cast for this role. Her charisma and humor complemented Affleck's awkward behavior and provided the audience with many laughs. The chemistry between them was off the charts and it was a treat to watch them together on that screen. My biggest complaint is how small of a role she plays. I counted her in about eight scenes total, and that was a huge disappointment because some of my favorite moments during this movie were when she was on screen with Affleck.
J.K. Simmons is the Treasury, five months away from retirement, that sets out to bring Christian Wolff down. Like usual, J.K. was fantastic during his time on screen. He did a lot with so little that he had to work with. Again, my biggest complaint is that he was barely in the movie! He had one scene total with Affleck (it was merely a flashback) and the other scenes were just snips of him trying to track down the accountant. The director made a big mistake not utilizing J.K. more throughout the film.
John Lithgow is the man that hires the hitman to kill the accountant. As one of my favorite actors, I had high expectations for him. I was disappointed because I felt he was poorly utilized and barely had any screentime. His character, however, was involved in a big plot twist that surprised me, and I can't complain when a movie does that.
Jon Bernthal plays a very skilled hitman by the name of Brax. Bernthal was perfect for this role. He is a great actor and proves it once again in this movie. His character was utilized perfectly throughout the movie. Bringing dark humor and a certain type of charm to the screen, Bernthal almost steals the show from Affleck but falls short due to his limited time on screen.
Honorable Mention: Jeffrey Tambor plays Francis (Christian's mentor). He is another great actor failed by the director because he was barely utilized during the movie.
One of the best parts of this film was the choreography. The combat sequences were hard hitting and very fast paced. It was amazing. Another great part of this movie was the cast. Every main character listed in this film is a star in Hollywood. From Ben Affleck to Jeffrey Tambor, this movie had an amazing cast to deliver a solid and entertaining story. This movie shocked me a couple of times throughout the two-hour running time, but it had the best plot-twist I've seen all year towards the end.
The biggest flaw in this movie was that it seemed like it needed to add an extra ten minutes of information to set up a sequel. There was a certain scene where a character explains all the events that occur in the movie and fleshes out any confusions an audience member might have, but the scene is too long and eventually starts to drag on. By the end of the movie, we witness the confrontation between the hitman and the accountant (which was extremely satisfying and heartfelt) but the Treasury is still trying to figure out exactly who he is trying to take down, and the movie ends with a endless amount of possibilities, which paves way for a very possible sequel.
Overall, this movie is worth the watch. The chemistry between the major characters in this film was a big positive. The star-studded cast provided amazing performances. The great storytelling was another reason this movie was so good. 'The Accountant' was mainly a drama, but it had some action and comedy from time to time which balanced out the tone perfectly. The numerous amounts of positives outweigh the negatives. I will definitely go see it again.
Verdict: 90%
