'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Review

Synopsis: Zack Snyder's definitive director's cut of Justice League. Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.

Runtime: 242 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for violence and some language)

Who should see it? Adult fans of DC Comics and Zack Snyder's filmography.

For those who aren't up to date with the online discourse surrounding Justice League, you may be confused why I'd be reviewing it again. Especially since the theatrical cut is already credited to director Zack Snyder... Well, for those unaware, Zack Snyder departed the project during post-production to deal with the aftermath of his daughter Autumn's tragic suicide. Though some of the footage shot under him made it into that cut, he's the director in name only. Warner Bros. enlisted Joss Whedon to rework the film and make the finished product Avengers-lite. The result was the cinematic equivalent of Frankenstein's monster. Ever since the release of Man Of Steel, it's been apparent that Warner Bros. was skittish to grant their directors complete control over bringing their DC Comics characters to the big screen. Thankfully, new leadership seems to relinquish much more control lately, so I sincerely hope the studio learned its lesson.

In Snyder's case, the studio clearly intervened in his theatrical version of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as the director's cut offers a much more cohesive viewing experience. Since Justice League's release in November 2017, fans have rallied to see Snyder's vision for Justice League fully materialized. When the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement began, it honestly seemed like a pipe dream. Why would Warner Bros. finance the completion of a director's cut when they'd already sunk over $300 M into the theatrical version? The Snyder Cut then took on a mythos of its own. While there were undoubtedly bad apples who relentlessly harassed the studio advocating for the release of the fabled Snyder Cut, I know several individuals who were well-intentioned in their quest to see Snyder's rendition. 

Thanks to Cyborg actor Ray Fisher, it has since come to light that the working environment during the Justice League reshoots was incredibly unprofessional on behalf of Joss Whedon and key individuals at the studio, including Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, and DC films chief Walter Hamada. As allegations against Whedon accumulated from all directions, the fight for the Snyder Cut took on a greater meaning of reclaiming the film's auteurship from toxic enablers. The movement grew till it was announced in May of last year that Warner Bros would fund the completion of the Snyder Cut for it to be released exclusively on HBO Max. In preparation for the four-hour feature, I sat down to rewatch Snyder's previous DC efforts and found myself reappraising them both. While I think Man of Steel and Batman v Superman are certainly still flawed, the mythic approach to depicting these classic characters is far more interesting than regurgitating what we've already seen. That mindset perseveres through Zack Snyder's Justice League.

I begin my review with this information because it is necessary to understand why this version exists. There's much to be said about studios caving to every whim of their audience, but the Snyder Cut's release rings true as a victory for preserving an artist's creative freedom. Strip that away, and we're left with a homogenous, soulless corporate product. The screenplay is credited to Chris Terrio, who co-authored the story alongside Snyder and Will Beall. Though I'll be the first to admit I initially gave Justice League a very generous review, I can confidently say the Snyder Cut exceeds it in every way imaginable. Four-hour runtime be damned, Snyder's version is brimming with the director's resilient spirit. 

While the Snyder Cut differs substantially from the theatrical version, the over-arching plot is more-or-less identical. Batman brings together a group of heroes to prevent Earth from being destroyed by intergalactic forces. The obvious takeaway is that the longer runtime gives the story more breathing room and allows for deeper character development. I think that's what makes the film work as well. The four-hour runtime certainly is daunting, but the film is divided into six chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue. HBO Max has these clearly marked so you can choose to watch it as a mini-series if viewing it in one sitting seems overwhelming. I'll confess that I felt the four-hour runtime, and it could have been whittled down to maybe two and a half-to-three hours if Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman had their own movies released beforehand. That said, the introduction of three pivotal heroes works much better this time around. 

Snyder balances the heroes much more effectively, and they finally feel fully realized and present. Cyborg and Flash notably benefit the most in Snyder's hands, but it was incredibly refreshing to see the camera framed more respectfully around Wonder Woman. Whedon's treatment of Diana and Cyborg speaks volumes about his character, and it's even more baffling to now see everything he and the studio chose to alter. Other notable improvements include the color grading, cinematography, visual effects, and a genuinely epic score by Thomas Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL). 

Ray Fisher put his career on the line to have his truth heard. After seeing his incredible performance here, I truly hope he continues to act because Cyborg is the movie's heart and soul. It's all the more disheartening to know that he was written out of the upcoming Flash movie in response to speaking out. A mistake that I hope will be course-corrected... Aiding Fisher, Joe Morton brings abundant emotional weight to the proceedings as Victor Stone's father. Their troubled relationship was an especially poignant highlight for me, and undoubtedly the lynch-pin holding everything together. 

Regarding the rest of the league, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa, and Ezra Miller each have their moments in the limelight. These performers continue to embody their characters quite well, and it was delightful to see them bounce off one another. With DC's future constantly in flux, one can only hope this cast will persevere. 

On the antagonistic front, the changes to Steppenwolf's design and exploration of his motivation made him much more threatening and interesting. He actually has a personality this time! As for some shortcomings, there are still some iffy visual effects, but that's common in the modern landscape of comic-book movies, and most of the effects look much better than the 2017 rendition. So I honestly can't harp on that too much as it's more representative of how visual effects artists are often rushed and overworked to meet specific deadlines. I'm also still not fond of Jared Leto's Joker, whose infamous uttering of the memeic phrase "We live in a society" took the internet by storm. Leto is barely in the movie, so again, this is a minor gripe. The runtime is a blessing and a curse, as it adds much-needed dimension to a sprawling cast of characters but the whole endeavor admittedly feels longwinded when all is said and done. That said, I'd gladly watch the Snyder Cut a thousand times over before willfully revisiting Whedon's version anytime soon. 

I admittedly never thought the Snyder Cut would see the light of day. Still I have to say, its epic and emotionally-charged narrative invigorated my interest in seeing Zack Snyder proceed with his planned Justice League sequels. At the end of the day, I'm just grateful he had the opportunity to reclaim his work in the face of overwhelming odds. 

Film Assessment: B+

'Justice League' Review

Considering this review won't be out till at least a month after the film's release date, I'm going to include spoiler sections to discuss certain things in more detail. There will be clear spoiler warnings to mark these as a means of forewarning those who've yet to watch Justice League.

[This review was originally written in November 2017 and is now being published that my internship is over. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

When Justice League opens, the world is still in mourning over the death of Superman. However, once an intergalactic evil emerges in the form of Steppenwolf and his legions of Parademon minions, Batman and Wonder Woman must unite a team of gifted individuals consisting of Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman if they're to have any hope at stopping Steppenwolf from destroying the world by combining the three mythical Mother Boxes to form the Unity.

The Justice League's first comic appearance was in the year 1960, and fifty seven years later, we're finally seeing them team up on the big screen for the first time. This cinematic culmination has been a long time coming, and after the success of The Avengers in 2012, comic book fans knew a live action incarnation was possible. There have been a few attempts to adapt the iconic superhero team over the years, but none of these successfully made it into any theater screens as each one was canned early in production. However, it's evident that Marvel Studios' success inspired Warner Bros. to try and get their own shared universe of films off the ground, leading to the DC Extended Universe we know today including Man Of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman.

Now, to say that the DCEU had a rocky start would be an enormous understatement, as they didn't have a commercial hit on their hands till earlier this summer with Wonder Woman. Everything preceding that stood out as divisive among both critics and average audiences, so it almost goes without saying that Warner Bros. had a lot riding on the success of Justice League considering they pumped $300 M into making comic-book readers' dreams a reality.

Note: Sadly, the film only brought in an underwhelming $93.8 M in its opening weekend, which is REALLY puny considering how iconic these characters are... For comparison, the first Iron Man made $98.6 M in its opening weekend when his character was a relative unknown back in 2008... I genuinely hope positive word of mouth spreads among audiences so it can make back more of its budget over time...

Anyways, the film's production took a turn for the worse earlier this year when director Zack Snyder departed the project to deal with the aftermath of his daughter's tragic suicide. From that point on, Joss Whedon, writer-director of both The Avengers and Avengers: Age Of Ultron, took over the post production process and reportedly reshot a substantial portion of the film. This development left me at odds to what I should possibly expect as I was of course excited to finally see these classic comic characters interacting with one another on the big screen, but the production's developments were troubling to say the least. Therefore, I chose to guard my optimism by hoping for the best, but also preparing for the worst. Thankfully, Justice League pleasantly surprised me as an entertaining use of two hours.

Due to the particularly unusual events that transpired behind the scenes, I'm not entirely sure who I should credit for what, so I'll do my best to avoid acknowledging any individual aspects to either Snyder or Whedon. This is especially evident in the fact Justice League didn't particularly feel like a Snyder film. For the most part, Justice League is a fusion of Synder's visual sensibilities and Whedon's quippy dialogue, which I've gotta say I liked. Chris Terrio is the other credited writer on both the story and screenplay, sharing story responsibility with Snyder and having originally shaped the script (although it's unclear precisely how much of the dialogue is Whedon's). Ultimately though, I feel the film was reconstructed by Warner Bros. in the wake of Snyder's tragedy.

Perhaps watching the film with that foresight made me more forgiving of the final product, but I'm of the belief that the first and foremost purpose of a blockbuster is to entertain, and Justice League sufficiently achieved that for me as an audience member, so I can overlook some of the film's shortcomings in the grand scheme of things. Not all of my opinions regarding Justice League are sunshine and roses though as the pacing of the project feels like it was hurriedly assembled by the Flash, the CGI was so-so, Danny Elfman's score is fairly forgettable, Steppenwolf is a thoroughly average antagonist, and the first fifteen minutes of the film are an absolute chore to sit through due to an unbearable opening credits montage paired with Sigrid's cover of the song "Everybody Knows."

Ultimately though, it's the ensemble that outweigh the inadequate elements. I had quite a few concerns in regards to casting, but the actors I was worried about proved me wrong. The chemistry between the cast was incredible, and I genuinely had a smile on my face about every time the characters were interacting with one another because it was simply satisfying to finally see a live action Justice League! In the action department, nothing in the film will absolutely blow you away, but it's all enjoyable and well-constructed so you'll have a hard time hiding that smile on your face.

Up first amongst the league is Batman, and Ben Affleck continues to don the cowl with a confidence that makes his Bruce Wayne one of the best brought to cinema screens. Affleck does a good job keeping the character from ever feeling too quippy while bringing the brooding we saw in Batman v. Superman down a notch. Even though I don't feel his performance here was quite as impressive as his last outing (possibly because he seems disinterested in the franchise with the announcement he'd like to segue out of the DCEU in a cool way), I also feel like he didn't phone it in.

Next up, there's the Amazon warrior, Wonder Woman! Gal Gadot proves once again she was well-cast and embodies all of Diana's intrepid, admirable attributes with a performance that's both fierce and down-to-earth in her more vulnerable moments. If you've liked what you've seen of Wonder Woman so far in her own standalone movie or even the third act of Batman v. Superman, you'll be more than happy with her here. The only gripe I have related to her character whatsoever has absolutely nothing to do with Gadot, but rather the way the camera's angled around her character... I noticed numerous "butt" shots where the camera was positioned very low and angled upwards looking STRAIGHT at her rear, which just felt like a step backwards to me in regards to properly portraying a female superhero when you consider how successfully Wonder Woman didn't sexualize her. There's also one joke that will probably rub some people the wrong way, but I honestly didn't mind because it's a quick "it happened and it's over" thing.

Third is the robust Atlantean, Aquaman. For his first outing, I've got to say Jason Mamoa fit comfortably as a rougher, tougher Aquaman than the version general audiences are familiar with from say... Super Friends. Anyways, Mamoa's rockstar attitude will really radically change people's perspective on the character as he does some awesome things. 

Following suit is the cybernetic Cyborg. Ray Fisher was one of the actors I was most concerned about, simply because I was worried the character might come off as monotonous and robotic, but Fisher really nailed grounding the character without getting lost underneath all the CGI. Fisher truly felt half cybernetic and half human, and I quickly got over his unexceptional aesthetic that alarmed me in the trailers.

Among the cast, I've got to surprisingly say that Ezra Miller was actually the runaway star as Flash! The Flash is my favorite DC Comics character, so I was obviously excited to see a cinematic take compared to the one currently on television, but I was seriously concerned with how this portrayal of the scarlet speedster was going to turn out based on the trailers and everything I'd seen previously. Thankfully, Miller lightens the mood in just the right way as his screen presence really electrified the experience for me and most of his humor landed.

**Spoiler Warning**

Last, but certainly not least, there's Superman. I've placed him in the spoiler section because quite franky, his return is a spoiler, no matter how obvious it was... At any rate, he's back... and better than ever!! If you're someone who's been continuously dissatisfied with Henry Cavill's take on Superman, then don't fret... This is the Superman you've been waiting to see! While the circumstances behind his return were completely contradictory to everything I'd possibly imagined, it made sense and I felt it was handled well for the most part. My only gripe was that his change of heart came a little quicker than I'd have liked. I understood that Lois snapped him out of his funk, but it all still seemed sudden to me once he got to his farm. Also, it was a little weird how calmly Lois and Martha accepted his return... Like they just kind of shrugged it off as though it was some everyday occurrence... 

Anywho, there's the whole mustache debacle that's off paramount importance to this review! If you didn't already know, Henry Cavill is in Mission: Impossible - Fallout and his character has to have a mustache for that film. Well, Justice League reshoots lapsed with a break in filming for M:I 6 when Tom Cruise got injured on set. Warner Bros. was presented with two alternatives, either shave the stache and foot the bill to digitally add it in on M:I 6 or to digitally remove it themselves... While those obviously weren't the only options for the studio, Warner Bros. decided to remove it digitally for whatever reason. Perhaps I wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for all the reports about it, but there's clearly something off about Henry Cavill's upper lip, and it just doesn't look right... If you're wondering what I feel the studio should have done, then look no further for I think they should have just filmed with the stache all the way!!! I think a petition should be drafted demanding a Mustache Cut of the film or at least a Blu-Ray featurette all about removing the mustache! Also, the above picture is photoshopped and not at all legitimate... but the mustache story is... I promise. 

**End of spoilers**

Then I suppose I must mention Steppenwolf, only the most generic antagonist imaginable. I'm completely apathetic towards the character because I didn't have high hopes for him as a villain anyways, and I'm perfectly okay with that if the villain stinks on account of focusing attention towards the heroes. Ciarán Hinds voices the CG-creation and does everything he can, but the lack of setup and screen-time for the character renders his work useless. I've seen many people pointing to him as one of the worst comic book movie villains ever made, but I find that to be an absurd over-exaggeration when you look at his competition... Enchantress alone makes him bearable in comparison, and that's not even factoring in anything from Batman & Robin... Oh, and there are also two post credit scenes well worth watching... I'm not sure the movie will still be in theaters when this review's out, but at least you know!

The worst thing I can say about Justice League is that the film doesn't quite do justice to its classic characters as their first onscreen team-up. Regardless of its faults, the film is a heck of a lot of fun though, and I think that's what really matters at the end of the day. Do I want to see what Snyder's version would have been like? I'd love to see some semblance of an extended cut to flesh things out, but a version fully realizing Snyder's vision seems unlikely for budgetary reasons. Justice League may not have lit up like the bright beacon in Gotham City shining for the Caped Crusader, but it still shined as an enjoyable effort that entertained me while leaving me excited about the DCEU's future films... Bring on Aquaman! Bring on Wonder Woman 2! Bring on Flashpoint! Bring on The Batman! Heck, bring on Cyborg! BRING ON Justice League 2!!! That is, if this franchise is going to continue...

Film Assessment: B-

In Defense Of: 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice' (The "Martha Scene)

Welcome readers! Today I'm introducing a new series I'll be periodically publishing from time to time called "In Defense Of" where I do as the title implies, defend something that's commonly criticized. Today I'm tackling the "Martha" scene from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to tie into Justice League's release this weekend, and I'm sure many of you are already appalled that someone could think this moment has any merit whatsoever, but hear me out. I'm not going to be telling you this film is some misunderstood masterpiece, it has many flaws that I'm well aware of. However, I don't think the "Martha" scene has more substance than people give it credit for.  

In Defense Of: 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice' (The "Martha Scene)

So for starters, let's dismiss this notion that Batman simply stopped because their moms have the same name. I think there's a lot more to it than that, but people refuse to look past the surface level so alas this meme was born.

Also, Superman doesn't seem to be saying his mother's name as an effort to stop Batman from killing him. I view the scene much differently than most. So over the course of the entire film, Batman is hellbent on killing Superman because he believes that Superman powers are too dangerous based on what he witnessed firsthand in the Battle of Metropolis. This Batman is darker than most and completely unlike the one we're used to seeing in the pages of comics or even onscreen because he straight up murders people with no remorse. 

However, I think that's one of the film's central themes... Alfred acknowledges the shift himself when he says "Everything's changed. Men fall from the sky, the gods hurl thunderbolts, innocents die. That's how it starts, sir. The fever, the race, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel." 

Essentially in Batman's pent-up aggression, he's fallen so far into darkness and despair that he can't even accurately judge Superman's true character. In his rage, Batman only sees Superman as a monster who's going to eradicate humanity and Batman is becoming the very thing he feared as he was being manipulated by Lex Luthor to kill a good man. I'll tie this back in a moment...

On the flip-side, Superman is in a moment of vulnerability. The strongest, most powerful man in the universe is essentially on the ground unable to do anything to prevent his death, and what does he do? He doesn't plead for mercy, instead he simply requests that Batman save the life of another. 

This completely throws Batman off-guard. In that very moment, Batman realizes he's been tricked and sees Superman's character shine through. He sees Superman's inner humanity as opposed to the alien he's so afraid of. He realizes that he's become so obsessed with stopping Superman that he never stopped to think if he even should be doing that. This all powerful being is in a moment of weakness and instead of begging for his own life, he asks Batman to save another. Batman's now in a moment of self-reflection and confusion where he realizes what he's become while generally just confounded how he, the world's greatest detective, could have been so wrong. 

When Lois steps in and informs him that Martha is his mother, Bruce then reflects to a time when he was powerless to prevent his own mother's death. Lois then lays down atop Superman and Batman must process why someone would possibly give their life for Superman, only to come to the conclusion that Superman is truly a man of good character.  

Batman then realizes that the right thing to do is to save Martha. He promises Superman he will do this because he knows what it's like to have his mother taken away from him when he could do nothing. The fact both their "mothers" have the same name is pure coincidence that people have kind of turned into a joke. I don't really think Batman stops because their mom's have the same name. It's because he saw Superman's virtues when he least expected them.

Now I realize many of you may still disagree with me, and that's perfectly fine. Film is subjective to every viewer, and the purpose of this post is to communicate my own perspective upon watching this scene. I'm simply making a case for why the moment works for me as well as explaining what I get out of the scene every time I watch it. 

'Live By Night' Review

Live By Night follows World War I veteran Joe Coughlin's descent into delinquency amidst Prohibition and the Roaring '20's. Ben Affleck directs, writes, produces, and stars in his followup to Best Picture winner Argo, Live By Night, so it's needless to say he had a lot of heavy lifting to do. 

2016 wasn't the greatest year for Ben Affleck, he headlined both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Accountant, which were divisive among movie goers and critics but ultimately diced on Rotten Tomatoes. BvS didn't perform as expected, failing to truly do well beyond it's opening weekend and while I was ultimately disappointed I can say its unfairly slammed at times. Ben Affleck's turns in both aforementioned blockbusters were a high mark and he certainly elevated the material. 

Live By Night is another 2016 Warner Bros. release headlining Ben Affleck, this case in just about every department, that's not being looked kindly upon by critics (it's in contention for the 2016 Oscar season and premiered in limited release so I'm counting it as one). Unfortunately, Affleck doesn't fully deliver in all areas since the story lifted from Dennis Lehane's novel gets muddled in the transition to screenplay as story points are quickly brushed over rather than spending the time to emphasize the significance of said events. The film's end does however justify the means to reach its conclusion by tying everything together nicely but the glut in-between can't be ignored for dragging the film down a notch. 

Affleck's direction on the other hand is as refined as his previous work with Live By Night certainly evoking the atmosphere of a mobster flick. There are two exhilarating action sequences in Live By Night: a thrilling get-away car chase and an old fashioned gangster shoot-out to cap things off and if these action sequences did anything other than keep my eye's glued to the screen, they further supported that Ben Affleck's upcoming Batman project should be quite the spectacle. The technical aspects of Live By Night are the crème de la crème with authentic 1920's production and costume design and illustrious imagery captured by Robert Richardson's excellent cinematography. 

The cast also do quite well with their roles regardless of size, adding to the authenticity of the time with various accents and nuanced portrayals. Ben Affleck delivers some awesome gangster quips but his character Joe Coughlin never feels quite fully formed, he's a man who stays true to his moral compass but even when he does something bad you can't quite despise him as Affleck portrays him in a noble light. Just a fine performance from a talented man, nothing to praise or jeer. Chris Messina brings Coughlin's best bud and trusted ally Dion Bartolo to the silver screen as a delightful companion to Affleck who helps bring the film out of it's darker moments. 

Sienna Miller and Zoe Saldana are fairly static love interests for Coughlin and are fabulous actresses who are criminally wasted in this film, they don't have much to do aside from drive the plot and aren't able to leave much impression on the viewer. Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, and Chris Cooper all have brief but crucial supporting roles in the narrative as a girl who's seen the light and error of her ways Loretta Figis, police captain and father Thomas Coughlin, and Tampa Sheriff Figis. Meanwhile, the Irish and Italian mafias being headed up by Robert Glenister and Remo Girone respectively with Matthew Maher playing a disgustingly wicked Ku Klux Klan leader on the sidelines. Also, keep your eyes peeled for some surprising cameo appearances from some well known talent. 

In summary, Live By Night has it's moments and will successfully engross viewers in the mobster drama but would be much better served with an episodic format as opposed to the scrunched 130 minute runtime provided. If a period piece crime drama's your thing, then you should be fairly satisfied with Live By Night.

Film Assessment: B-

'The Accountant' Review

The number of action franchises headlining middle aged men has surged in recent years as Liam Neeson has Taken, Keanu Reeves has John Wick, and Tom Cruise has Jack Reacher along with the Mission: Impossible franchise and whether The Accountant will blossom into a fully fleshed franchise remains to be seen but it certainly has the potential. 

The Accountant finds an autistic accountant Christian Wolff cooking the books for dangerous global criminal organizations, but this accountant also happens to have the combat training of a highly skilled assassin thanks to his militaristic upbringing, and as he uncovers the truth of a discrepancy in a robotics firm's numbers he finds himself in the crosshairs and must use his accounting abilities and tactile combat skills to bring down this corrupt company. 

The Accountant is directed by Gavin O'Connor and O'Connor shows a knack for piecing everything together, really getting the viewer inside Christian Wolff's headspace. O'Connor seemingly accurately and respectfully depicts individuals with autism and does a superb job directing action. The action sequences were all well choreographed, intense, and quite unique from typical action considering there's no shaky-cam used. 

Bill Dubuque's screenplay on the other hand has it's ups and it's downs. Dubuque does an excellent job in regards to crafting a thrilling original narrative that thinks outside the box by making an ordinary CPA an action hero and he also handles flashbacks well by making them integral to the ongoing story. My one qualms are the extraneous plot lines involving a U.S. Treasury investigation that I'd have preferred not been included in the film to keep more focus on Ben Affleck's Christian Wolff and that some of the twists were a little predictable due to subtle foreshadowing. Other than those minuscule nitpicks the film is remarkably entertaining. The Accountant boasts a talented ensemble cast who elevate some of the weaker portions of the script. 

Ben Affleck has definitely proven himself capable of providing consistently noteworthy performances after temporarily hanging up his cowl to conquer another interesting action hero. Affleck plays Wolff with a dual personality of sorts verging into a serious extraordinary assassin and his socially awkward autistic accountant, both sides of the coin play off one another and he's convincing in both personas. If anything could rev up my anticipation for the Batman solo film he's directing and starring in, it was seeing him at work here. 

Anna Kendrick plays a lively accountant Dana Cummings and she fills the requirements of the role playing well off Affleck, as the two share some great chemistry providing some of the more humorous bits. 

Elsewhere, I was really impressed with Seth Lee who played the Young Chris and was convincing in his portrayal of emotional outbursts and the autistic tendencies. 

J.K. Simmons, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Jon Bernthal are all fantastic in the capacity used, playing up their normal sensibilities so there's nothing outside the realm of expectations set for them but they measure up to what's provided. Don't expect too much from Jeffrey Tambor or John Lithgow because they are essentially cameo appearances. 

In summary, The Accountant is an interesting action thriller that thinks outside the box, respectfully depicting individuals suffering from disabilities while also providing amazing action, prodigious performances, and strong direction. It's just the type of originality Hollywood needs right now and is the type of action film that is worth spawning a franchise around.

Film Assessment: A-