Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, JK Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, John Lithgow, Jean Smart, Jeffrey Tambor
Directed By: Gavin O’Connor
Plot: Christian Wolfe (Affleck) is an accountant. Or is he? Maybe he’s a trained assassin? Maybe he launders money for mafia types around the world? That’s what a duo of FBI agents (Simmons/Addai-Robinson) are trying to find out. Wolfe is hired to find out why a robotics company lost some money. With the help of an in house accountant (Kendrick), Wolfe will unravel the mystery… but it might be more dangerous than he first thought.
What Works: I loved how twisty the plot was. It was all perfectly set up, and the payoff was really good. When we first meet Christian as a child, he’s putting together a puzzle. It’s a metaphor for what O’Connor is trying to do with this film. He’s laying out the pieces, and in the end it will all fit perfectly, and it does. I even guessed some of it, but not all of it. I loved trying to figure out the pieces of the puzzle. So many films are all on the surface, but I think The Accountant does a great job of not showing all its cards. The supporting cast did well, and the film has some really well done action sequences. This is one of my favorite films of the year.
What Doesn’t Work: My only problem with the film is Affleck. I just think he was miscast. I think it’s hard for someone like Affleck, who has made his entire career off his smile and charm to play a role where he can’t use any of that. And, more importantly, where the audience has to ignore that and forget that its Ben Affleck. I never stopped seeing Ben Affleck on screen. It was hard for me to see the character. Even as I loved everything going on around him, I kept thinking he never fit the character. I think he tried his best, he was just miscast.
Final Word: Even though I’m giving this film an A-, it doesn’t represent how much I loved the film itself, and how Gavin O’Connor really did some great work here. I just wish another actor other than Affleck had been in the role. Honestly, Matt Damon would have killed this. It’s much more up his alley.
Final Grade: A-
