THE ACCOUNTANT ■ Not by the numbers
You don’t have to look too far online to see that THE ACCOUNTANT is proving divisive with critics. And it’s understandable. In terms of tone (and even sometimes genre), it’s a bit all over the place, the dual storylines are somewhat jarring at first, and there’s a lazy 10-minute section of exposition before the final act. The thing is, director Gavin O’Connor (WARRIOR) directs Bill Dubuque’s (THE JUDGE) fascinating script with such confidence that it’s easy to forgive these detractors. Bear in mind that Ben Affleck is the titular accountant, Christian Wolff.
Affleck is in high demand, capable of both writing and directing his own movies, so he doesn’t exactly have to accept every role that comes across his desk. Of late, he has a tendency to pick roles that showcase his breadth as an actor, and THE ACCOUNTANT is no exception to this. Wolff is an autistic mathematical genius who, by day, un-cooks the books for morally questionable clients and, by night, seems to have an affinity for assassination. His inability to understand social conventions and cues makes for uniquely charming interactions with love interest Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick).
That’s where the competing genres come in. It’s a bit odd at first, but by the time the credits roll, THE ACCOUNTANT proves itself to be a family drama, a love story, a JOHN WICK-style slick action movie, and a compelling thriller. None of those elements play out in expected ways, but even if you may predict certain twists and turns, they’re executed so beautifully it’s just as satisfying to watch them as it is to figure them out ahead of time.
Once again, the trailers have done the movie a disservice, presenting an action-packed thriller when, in fact, those bits are secondary to a fascinating character exploration that happens to be about a guy who sometimes kills people. That said, THE ACCOUNTANT is such a dense movie with so many moving pieces it’d be impossible to encapsulate that in a two-minute trailer, but that doesn’t stop it from being utterly engrossing viewing from start to finish.
THE ACCOUNTANT is by no means essential big-screen viewing, but if you’re in the market for a thriller with moments of intense action some great laughs and plenty of heart, it’s well worth your time when it hits digital and home release.
