The Accountant (2016)

Review

128min

Genre:       Action, Crime, Thriller

Director:    Gavin O’Connor

Cast:         Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons…and more

Writer:      Bill Dubuque

-Synopsis-

Ben Affleck stars as a mysterious and gifted but obsessive and neurologically challenged forensic accountant, who “creatively” manages the books for criminal organizations… and moonlights as an assassin, but his latest job puts him on a collision course with dangerous forces and a troubled past in this action/thriller from the director of ‘Warrior’.

Determined not to be consumed with “Caped Crusader” duties or be completely tied down by DC Comics, Ben Affleck makes use of his recently acquired “ass-kicking” skills (and some old ‘Daredevil’ ones), plus director Gavin O’Connor’s experience with dark gritty dramas, for this tense and mysterious action/thriller with an interesting thematic character twist.

Known by many names but most prominently “Christian Wolff”, Affleck stars as the enigmatic “Accountant” himself; a highly trained and physically capable math genius, thanks to high functioning autism, who lacks regular social skills as a result and comes off as weirdly blunt, with often funny results. When a seemingly innocuous assignment “uncooking” the books for a medical tech company takes a dark turn; “Wolff” acquires an unlikely ally and is pit against dangerous operatives, as he embarks on a mission while avoiding the crosshairs of government agents.

‘The Accountant’ is every inch the modern “special operative” action/thriller, along the lines of ‘The Bourne Identity’ and ‘Jack Reacher’, featuring a highly-trained ass-kicking  figure on a mission and with an assassin element thrown in the mix. But by making the lead someone with Asperger syndrome, a high-functioning autistic savant with advanced analytical skills but limited social ones; it gives the film a new dimension and makes for the dramatic core of the piece which shapes the narrative, resulting in something like ‘Bourne’ meets ‘Rain Man’.

The film has a rather circuitous structure, jumping back and forth between “Wolff’s” present predicament, past ones and the complex childhood which forms his character, unravelling the mystery of the man and some of the characters around him, but the result is a somewhat convoluted narrative and a breakup of the film’s momentum.

This is particularly evident as it moves back and forth between an action thriller and a drama, and between gritty violence and plenty of unexpected comedy, seen both in the quirky unconventional relationship he develops with fellow accountant “Dana” (Anna Kendrick), as well as some surprising but welcome dark comedy in the midst of extreme violence and gripping action sequences.

Ben Affleck delivers a surprisingly layered performance considering the genre and makes his presence felt throughout, alongside the typically charming Anna Kendrick who’s the charm and ethical heart of the movie, if there is one. Meanwhile J.K. Simmons is his typical commanding self as the veteran government authority figure charged with tracking down the elusive number-cruncher, but ‘The Accountant’ is ultimately defined by a convoluted narrative which stretches to try and cover too much ground while holding together various subplots.

By trying to be both a gritty action/thriller and a character drama, plus an offbeat semi-romance and a darkly comic mystery, O’Connor’s film doesn’t really commit to one thing and ends up being a convoluted potpourri of interlaced themes. Made all the worse by the meandering story which tries to bridge gaps between past and present and between the film’s characters, resulting in an underwhelming revelatory third act which strains to tie-off loose ends, and with some twists and reveals which you can see coming from a mile away.

Its limitations aside,‘The Accountant’ has a solid central performance, enough gripping action and offbeat humour in a stylishly executed package to make it an entertaining experience throughout, if not a groundbreaking one. But the nature of the main character is what makes this film the welcome novelty it is; portraying an autistic lead as a stoic 007-like superhero rather than a victim, albeit a morally ambiguous one, in a film which almost uses his condition and troubled upbringing as a justification for some rather questionable life choices.

The Bottom Line…

Despite being thematically erratic and narratively convoluted,  there’s more than enough action and intrigue here to make for an entertaining and surprisingly amusing two hours of outlandish escapism; it may not add much to an established sub-genre, but thanks to a strong central performance ‘The Accountant’ puts a positive if fanciful spin on a mysterious condition for a wider audience.

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Jason Bourne (2016)

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