Directed by:
Gavin O'ConnorScreenplay:
Bill DubuqueCinematography:
Seamus McGarveyComposer:
Mark IshamCast:
Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, John Lithgow, Michael Beasley, Boualem Hassaine, Ron Prather, Jason MacDonald, Ron Yuan (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Christian Wolff (Affleck) is a math savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Behind the cover of a small-town CPA office, he works as a freelance accountant for some of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations. With the Treasury Department's Crime Enforcement Division, run by Ray King (J.K. Simmons), starting to close in, Christian takes on a legitimate client: a state-of-the-art robotics company where an accounting clerk (Anna Kendrick) has discovered a discrepancy involving millions of dollars. But as Christian uncooks the books and gets closer to the truth, it is the body count that starts to rise. (Warner Bros. UK)
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Reviews (12)
The Accountant is a hit emotional thriller with some perfect action and a perhaps unnecessarily overcomplicated story with a lot of details that will make sense in later scenes and bring a big surprise to the story (“Do you like puzzles?”). At least on the first viewing. On the second viewing, which I did because of the difficult decision between four and five stars, my enthusiasm over the super-clever script turned into mere delight over a cleverly constructed genre movie. But the emotions remained.
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If you ignore the overcomplicated plot, the laughable attempts at psychological profoundness and the weird twists, it works fine. The statuesque Affleck is a good choice for the character of an autist (regardless of whether his character has anything to do with the real capabilities of an autist). The action is good and executed without hesitation; a 7/10 overall, and I’m rounding up for how they settle the tab with the main villain.
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Ex Navy Seals dudes got their asses handed to them by Denzel Washington in Equalizer, so they did a rematch in The Accountant and got their asses handed to them again, this time by Ben Affleck. It's not nearly as spectacular and visually captivating as former, but thanks to an interesting crime premise and great actors, it's no less entertaining, but on a slightly different note. The action is raw, manly and clear. The script, given the film's concept, is atypical, with some interesting digressions that usually make for the best acting (Bernthal - brotherly bond, Simmons - self-doubt, Lithgow - the practices of corporate politics), so the final impression is more than pleasant. One of the most compact little big action thrillers of recent times.
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All right, autistic people are beautiful creatures, but don't give them weapons and super computers, because they'll probably start a secret service. I haven't seen a film in a long time that falls apart so grandiose after a captivating introduction. The first part, where the viewer actually watches the very routine actions of the main character and a few hints, is not boring and attracts with promises of interesting revelations. Gavin O'Connor also directs very smoothly and elegantly. The second half, where the information deficit is being addressed and something needs to be unraveled quickly, was probably written in a secret collaboration between Cimrman and Jarchovský. I haven't seen an explanatory monologue used worse since Innocence. When J. K. Simmons, with his feet on the table, explaining 90% of the story, it's on the verge of non-art. And the final revelations are really almost a crazy comedy. If at the beginning the question arises as to whether realism and action exaggeration will be fighting against each other in the film, the conclusion offers a ready-made orgy of things that do not fit together. I absolutely appreciate the grace with which both Affleck and (again amazing) Bernthal handle the WTF moments. And I don't have to be autistic to figure it out.
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Unfortunately, I didn't trust Ben Affleck with this character for even a moment (well, okay, in the action scenes let's say I did, but that's probably not what it was supposed to be about). Moreover, the story is one that can surprise the viewer, but surprise him with such unbelievable shenanigans that he can't help but shake his head at them.
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