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-
