Fresh off of his turn as Batman in Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck plays a different type of stoic mastermind in The Accountant. An action and suspense-filled thriller focused on an antisocial math savant who freelances for dangerous criminal organizations, The Accountant, despite a few disjointed subplots and loose ends, will keep you at the edge of your seat.
The central plot of the film begins when “The Accountant”, a man named Christian Wolf, takes on a robotics company as a client, but soon gets entangled in their web of secrets and millions of dollars of stolen money. Through this job, Wolff meets charming young accountant Dana Cummings, played by Anna Kendrick, who adds a strange but cute pseudo-romantic element to a film full of grimness and hard edges. A multiplicity of subplots, of which many remain disconnected, implausible, or unfulfilled is the major challenge and pitfall faced by the film; after the action-packed climax, many loose ends remain or come to underwhelming conclusions.
The most compelling element of the film is the character development of the protagonist. Much of the film is spent exploring the roots of Christian’s personal troubles through flashbacks, revealing his struggle with Asperger’s from an early age, his abandonment by his mother, and the physical and psychological manipulation by his father, a military psychologist who fails to be empathetic or accommodating to his son’s tantrums and sensitivity. Wolff’s childhood experiences with his father and his brother make for some of the film’s most emotionally jarring moments. Particularly disturbing is a scene where Christian’s father encourages a martial arts instructor to continue dealing blows to a young Christian and his brother as they bleed and struggle to fight back, all for the sake of testing their human limits and identifying their weaknesses. Christian’s past sheds light on his current character and habits in the film. He is focused and determined, and keeps his life very routine and controlled, although devoid of emotion. However, he inflicts pain upon himself when he feels frustrated or out of control.The Accountant’s treatment of serious issues such as disability and psychological abuse is thought provoking, albeit neither thorough nor conclusive.
Besides character development, cinematography is another strength of The Accountant. Complex play with shadows, mirrors, and angles adds to the twisted nature of the story. The suspenseful soundtrack as well as some intense diegetic sound also make for a stimulating and engrossing cinematic experience.
The 2 hours and 8 minutes of The Accountant go by quickly. It’s easy to pick apart afterwards for plot discrepancies or for unfulfilled or implausible storylines, but in the moment, the film grabs your attention, touches upon serious and thought provoking issues, and provides insight into a fascinatingly complex protagonist.
See this film and others at Bow Tie Criterion Cinemas New Haven, 86 Temple St. Call (203) 498-2500 or visit www.BowTieCinemas.com for advance tickets.