FILM REVIEW: The Accountant (15)
This time, he’s in front of the lens for this noteworthy genre entry from acclaimed director Gavin O’Connor, starring as a maths genius that works for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal operations.
Behind the façade of small mall-based financial firm Christian Wolff (Affleck) has well-meaning ulterior motives – after being raised with personal autistic difficulties – but when he takes on a legitimate client with a state-of-the-art robotics company he uncovers a conspiracy that brings his upbringing into play.
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Hide AdSaid upbringing was being trained by martial arts experts when he was younger at the behest of his ‘hardline’ military officer father (Robert C. Treveiler) – which has left him with ‘Bourne-esque’ combat and weaponry skills – and when a young accounting clerk (Pitch Perfect’s Anna Kendrick) uncovers a discrepancy involving millions of dollars, the duo go on the run with a hitman known as ‘The Assassin’ (Jon ‘The Punisher’ Bernthal from Netflix’s Daredevil) on their tail.
To make matters worse the Treasury’s Crime Enforcement Division – led by JK Simmon’s (Whiplash) Ray King – are closing in on Wolff’s whereabouts as well, with rookie agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) piecing together the puzzle to his mysterious identity.
And while The Accountant does have a few pacing issues and glaring plot holes (dead bodies left at a farm yard never to be mentioned again is just one example), it does offer enough twists and turns of ingenuity to make this above-average thriller fare which punches above its weight.
Affleck again continues to show a nice variation in character roles with the intriguing Wolff, and he is ably backed up by the always-good value presences of Simmons, Kendrick and Bernthal, as The Accountant fluctuates being a good old-fashioned drama – and something reminiscent to last year’s impressive John Wick. It does outstay its welcome a tad, but crunches enough of the big numbers to end up the right side of taxing.
Rating: 3.5/5