Synopsis – As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.

My Take – This film was one of the most anticipated films of the year; Director Gavin O’ Connor is one of the names that caught my eye which prompted me to watch this film apart from Ben Affleck. I have loved Gavin O’ Connor’s Warrior and I had good hopes about this one and I am glad that it didn’t disappoint, and instead exceeded my expectations.  It’s good to see Gavin O’Connor in form again, especially after being a little disappointed with this year’s Jane Got a Gun but that’s possibly because I was expecting so much more after his MMA epic, Warrior. I generally have an idea of many films that I watch and how they are going to be. Going by the trailers and summary I thought this film would be a dark and intelligent and a subtle thriller. Make no mistake, the film is exactly that is but in a very awesome way. A thriller should be entertaining and smart, both of which the film is. The background and story arc of the main character is unusual and pretty original – as are many of the film’s plot points – and the story features some shocking twists. More analytical Film Fans may notice that parts of the story in the film don’t quit add up, but the story is so good and the characters are so interesting that you may decide that the unanswered questions really don’t matter very much. In my humble opinion, this is one of the most creative, exciting and satisfying films of its kind since the original “Taken” – and the way it humanizes the still little-understood condition of autism adds unexpected heart to the cool story and great action.

The story follows Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), a genius at math, and very skilled at forensic accounting, or “un cooking the books”, which he does for unsavory characters and criminal organizations all over the world. Through the very tough upbringing of his father (Robert C. Trevelier), Christian learned to function independently in the adult world – and to protect himself from those who may do him harm – either because he’s “different” – or because of his dangerous clientele. While serving some prison time for assault, Christian had been befriended by a former mafia bookkeeper Francis Silverberg (Jeffrey Tambor), who took Christian under his wing, teaching Christian his business – and how to survive it. Christian learned to fly under the radar as a legitimate CPA with an ordinary office, who made his real money working for criminals on the side – while receiving professional guidance and personal advice from a mysterious computer-generated voice which comes through his cell phone. Even with all those dangerous overseas clients, Christian encounters some of his biggest challenges in his current location near Chicago. He is hired by a burgeoning tech firm called Living Robotics, who’s CEO Lamar Black (John Lithgow) asks him to look into an issue of missing capital, discovered by a young accountant named Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick). Christian quickly figures out what happened to the money, but getting too close to the underlying truth of the diversion of funds puts him and Dana in mortal danger, as an assassin Brax (Jon Bernthal) and his team move in to try to silence the pair. Meanwhile, Christian is also being pursued by a Treasury Department agent Ray King (J.K. Simmons) and a young analyst Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), whom the agent blackmails into bending the rules in an effort to find The Accountant.  The story line is perfect from the start to the end. Initially it starts slow like typical documentary describing basic symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorders, with on screen visual vignettes of kids who are displaying such qualities in different severity.  Autism is something that is very real and increasingly prevalent among many children today. The fact is that these individuals are not hopeless, and there are many who possess great talent in non-standardized aspects. This film shows that there are extreme cases to which autism can affect an individual (Justine), and to less severe cases (the lead himself). No matter the severity, when given an opportunity to thrive, these individuals are able to shine in other ways too.  The writing of this film was great. To say the least, the pace at which the plot developed was incredibly well paced. This is especially hard when executing a film of this genre, bordering between action, thriller and fueling with a bit of romance. Many films get this combo wrong, and this is mostly due to the pacing or overindulgence in R-rated romance (wink). The film did a great job in balancing it out just right. I also like the inclusion of the aliases titled after famous individuals. This was a simple yet nice touch, given that you recognize them. The story is so rich and investing through this film without any slow parts to it, whether it is the twist and turns throughout the film or the dialogue between the characters are fantastic. The story also gives a massive reveal at the end with I personally didn’t see coming and ties the relationship and story of the main character’s brother. Although this film for the most part is very serious and dark, which keeps you on the edge of your seat, the script is able to add elements of humor into it at perfect times which shows the flexibility of the film and script. The mystery in itself could have worked if it lent itself more organically to the character. Unfortunately the unexpected Michael Clayton (2007) milieu only made me want to see Wolff’s less legitimate work all the more.

It’d be one thing if Wolff was a pedestrian CPA with Asperger’s, who was suddenly thrust into a plot of corporate intrigue. Yet knowing that the man has a clientele that includes terrorists, drug cartels, the mob and a suspiciously quaint melon farmer, I kept expecting bigger fish to come swimming up. The action is sharp, slick and precise but it leaves you wanting to see more. That actually being a good thing though; leaving the cinema wanting to see more of a character is certainly a strong point. It’s actually comical in parts too, as we watch Wolff awkwardly interact with the people around, something I wasn’t expecting.  There’s a lot of jump cutting that’s present here. This film constantly jumps from the past to the present without warning, but the transitions are fluid. The execution of the story at times feels tedious due to its consistent jump cutting, multi-layered plot, and abundance of characters. Each character gets their moment, and everyone plays a part, but it’s the coincidence that brings them all together. Director Gavin O’Connor builds a smart and thought-provoking film. With writer Bill Dubuques polishing touch they create a unique blend of agile and canniness that seems to be what big blockbusters lack these days. Despite its many pros, this film did have its problems. If I was to write this screenplay, I would’ve made this a 3 hours film. Or maybe just a little longer than it was. The ending for Christian and Brax meet, is very cool. But it wasn’t even the big plot line throughout the story. I think that should’ve been a rise to the climax, and the climax is the FBI catching or at least trying to catch Chris. Because in the end, Chris got away with everything, and it just didn’t settle with me. The political and social point to this film was small, but really was interesting. The point Gavin O’Connor was trying to get across, was that kids with Autism aren’t ‘weird’ or ‘behind’. They’re just different, and they can do many things that other people can’t. Society puts them out as weirdos and humans that can’t do many things. And, I think this film changes that focal point. This film is a reassurance that Affleck still got it and he can really deliver a good performance, this was a much needed return to form from Affleck after suffering the blows of BvS. Affleck’s strong performance and a tight script to back it, puts this seemingly simple film into perspective. Ben Affleck looks so convincing to perform when this character snap for the first time related to his job as an accountant. The emotions he hold between him and Dana, the sudden bumbling when he wave bye to the couple old husband and wives after he save them from being hostage by 2 hit men that sent to kill him (he killed the 2 hit men with cold blood). At these parts looks like I’ve shown Chris transform from a thorough autism shy bashful accountant into another persona: skillful killer with no remorse. He does such a great job portraying a character with mental illness but at the same time did so in such a way that people rooted for this character emotionally, if you think about it that is a really hard thing to accomplish, managing to make a character who cannot understand emotions such a character that the audiences are actually emotionally invested in said character is an amazing feat, kudos to Affleck. It was also very interesting pairing Affleck up with Anna Kendrick, an actress significantly younger than him. Perhaps to flesh out the characters still ‘young mind’. Doing so was actually also quite a challenge for Affleck but he manages to deliver on this side too. Anna Kendrick also a good choice to perform Dana Cummings, a junior accountant staff with warm personality, simple and sincere. She is the first person after so many years that give him a deep impression and make him care much, deep enough to defend her with all his got. He will stop at nothing to keep her alive. I enjoy the chemistry build bit by bit between these 2 characters. J.K Simmons plays character Kings solidly as an uncompromising superior that will do anything to gain his will. Cyntia Addai Robinson also gives her good play as a Treasury agent under pressure. And Jon Berthal already gave very nasty impression since the beginning until his character. John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor play their parts well. On the whole, ‘The Accountant’ is a skillfully done thriller that is a brilliantly acted with well placed lighthearted tones.

Directed – Gavin O’Connor

Starring – Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons

Rated – R

Run Time – 128 minutes