Review
'The Accountant' offers well-rounded plot, intriguing characters
October 19, 2016
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is the accountant, but who is this accountant? Acting as a small town accountant, he also freelances as an accountant for some of the most wealthy and powerful criminal organizations around the globe.
I feel like it has been quite a while since I have really enjoyed a movie and one that was so well-rounded as a whole. We have an intriguing plot, great writing, fantastic direction, a talented cast of characters and so much more. I think “The Accountant” is brilliant and there are many reasons why.
So who is the accountant? Ben Affleck brings Christian Wolff, a man who appears to be this average every day accountant who doesn’t know how to communicate very well with people, to life. On a deeper level, he is this mathematician, a highly skilled fighter, international accountant for dangerous criminals and more. So who was this guy?! Well, that is what the story does a great job of telling you piece by piece and scene by scene. One of the best aspects of the film is how the movie takes its time. It doesn’t rush to reveal information but rather takes the time to build its characters, the plot and tension and mystery as to who this man really is.
"The Accountant" has a plethora of actors and actresses that you'll know, people such as Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal and Anna Kendrick. Each one of them brings their A game and is fantastic. Let’s look at the accountant, Ben Affleck, in detail. After a disappointing "Batman v Superman" movie, I needed something good from Affleck and this was it. Affleck plays an autistic man who struggles to relate and connect to people. Through the help of his father growing up, he learned to live with the condition and to use it to his advantage. Yes, he had autism, but he was the Rain Man of autism when it came to numbers. To put it simply, he was a genius and could figure out things extremely fast. With those skills combined with the skills that his military specialist father taught him, you have a combination for one powerful man. The movie does an excellent job at portraying these disabilities. Not only does it show it well and accurate, but it also shows how these “disabilities” can be blessings in disguise.
"The Accountant" is being marketed as an action movie. This is where a lot of people are having trouble with this film because it really isn’t an action packed film. It is a little slower at times and people seem to find fault in this. However, this should not be the case! This is a very well-rounded movie with an awesome blend of a little of everything. When there is action, it is very well done: intense, fast paced, brilliantly choreographed and more. Now this is much more than an action film. I would say that it is more of a drama with action in it than an action movie with drama. This is more a story about Christian Wolff and his life than anything else. Affleck really does an excellent job of showing a conflicted man, a man who desperately wants to relate to people and be “normal.” There is a subtle romance throughout the film that is also very heartwarming. Lastly, adding to the drama, action and romance is a surprising amount of humor. I was not expecting this at all but was very pleasantly surprised! Nothing is gut busting but there are a lot of well written lines with subtle humor, even just in the way that this Christian Wolff character goes about life. It is excellent to see how well the humor was written into the script.
"The Accountant" is getting a lot of mixed reviews. In my average man opinion, I think the negative reviews are misguided. If you go to the movie wanting an action packed thriller, this is not it. This is a well-rounded movie that has so much more to offer than just action. I really appreciate how this movie takes its time to build. So many movies rush to give you information and force the story to unfold. "The Accountant" takes its time to tell you just who this accountant really is, and it is definitely worth your time and money.