I can’t help myself, I really like Ben Affleck. Not to say I’m in a minority, but when talk of his new movie, “The Accountant,” buzzed around, opinions on whether or not Affleck could lead a film seemed to be a mixed bag. After all, he led and directed “Argo” (2012), which ended up winning best picture and has pleasantly surprised us with some good portrayals in his career. Now “The Accountant” gives us another one of these performances. But when it comes to calculating its confusing plot, it doesn’t always add up.
In a troubling scene, we meet Christian Wolff (played by Seth Lee as the child and Affleck as the adult). We learn of Wolff’s diagnosis of autism and how loud noises, bright lights, and pain may be overwhelming for him in life. His grumpy father does not like this, and is not open-minded to the methods in raising kids with such disabilities. While the young Wolff is piecing together a puzzle ridiculously fast, and upside down might I add, his daddy has separate plans to develop him outside the path of obscure and extraordinary mathematical ability.
Two roads forcefully converge: an autistic math genius becomes a deadly assassin, one who gets in deep with the wrong people. This almost makes you wonder what ideas didn’t pass through Hollywood’s screening process. Seriously, though, for the entirety of the film, it is hard to escape a feeling of unauthenticity in this character. And let me reassure you, this is no fault of Affleck’s. His portrayal of a cold and introverted accountant/assassin is exceptional, it’s just that the screenplay surrounding him is complicated.
The movie, directed by Gavin O’ Connor, is very unclear. It is so overwhelming in its exposition that when the big reveal(s) finally surface, it feels all too little and too late. Both the main character and story lack humanity. It’s hard to find a thread to relate to. A beacon of hope, found about a quarter-way into the film, is Dana, played by Anna Kendrick. As the unlikely love interest for our robotic protagonist, Kendrick is probably the only person you’ll see smiling in this movie.
The story leaps back and forth, with no certainty as to where it will go next. Subplot after subplot is added carelessly, and it’s as if the screenwriters gave up halfway on every idea they had. No portion of this film seems entirely fleshed out, even in the end, and this is really frustrating. One thread, which comes closest to satisfaction, is that between Christian and Dana. The two work together for a company which specializes in manufacturing prosthetic limbs, known as Living Robotics. A 61-million-dollar disparity in “the books” of the company helps our two lovely accountants meet, and just when you think something is there, poof…
However, despite all of its problems in continuity and intelligent plot-writing, I couldn’t help but feel interested and invested. I knew early on this movie was going to make little sense, so every time I didn’t understand something, I just cut my loss and got back on the track I thought was most intriguing. This film has about 15 different stories to tell in just 128 minutes, so there should be one or two you enjoy.
“The Accountant” is troubling, yes. But it is also entertaining. The action is well-orchestrated and doesn’t suffocate the story. Also, there are a few good twists/revelations that tie up parts which did make sense, and that’s good to see. While it certainly won’t go down as one of the year’s best, you should give this film a chance to disappoint you, or pleasantly surprise you—it did both for me.
I give The Accountant a 6.8/10.
