Review: ‘The Accountant’ feels like a constipated, financial ‘Batman’
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 128 minutes (~2.25 hours)
“The Accountant” is an action film about a very unconventional accountant. When he comes across an inconsistency in a company’s accounts, his dogged efforts unearths a lethal conspiracy. It stars Ben Affleck (Christian Wolff), Anna Kendrick (Dana Cummings), J.K. Simmons (Ray King), Jon Bernthal (Brax), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Marybeth Medina), Jeffrey Tambor (Francis Silverberg), Seth Lee (young Christian Wolff), and John Lithgow (Lamar Black). It is rated NC-16.
Ah, Ben Affleck. If you didn’t get enough of his scowling and brooding in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” then you’ll be overjoyed to see that he does more of that here, except that he’s got a biological reason to do so. In fact, “The Accountant” virtually reproduces Ben Affleck’s Batman, from the superb combat skills to the analytical skills to the array of secret gadgets at his disposal. Except this time, Ben Affleck isn’t battling costumed criminals - he’s battling evil corporate moguls. Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a financial Batman with an even more constipated brooding face.
Highlights
Action scenes are fun
It’s undoubtedly fun to see Christian Wolff mop up baddies with a straight face. It’s almost as if he finds it a chore to take down the goons that he faces. There really isn’t anyone who’s a match for him (well there is, but let’s just say that might not happen until the sequel), so he approaches fights with the same blasé attitude we would approach household chores. It’s quite refreshing to see the way the action scenes are executed.
Pays off seeming innocuous set-ups
Much of “The Accountant” seems to be random exposition stuck in to explain Christian Wolff’s abilities. Yet it all comes back full circle by the end of the film as what seem to be throwaway bits of information turn out to be a critical part of the story. There’s also a gentle hint of a sequel. The only quibble is that it all seems awfully coincidental, although it makes perfect sense if you devote some time to think about it.
Letdowns
No chemistry between Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick
Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick) seems to be this pest to Wolff, until he inexplicably shows some interest in her. It would have worked if there were some level of attraction between the two stars, but as it stands, they’re just reciting lines of dialogue. And they both happen to be accountants. That’s the extent of their relationship.
Ben Affleck equates constipation to intelligence
So Wolff has difficulty relating to normal people, since he’s a super genius. It’s a common trope, so there should be plenty of material and references to draw upon in shaping his portrayal of the lonely genius. What does Ben Affleck do? He looks constipated. When Dana speaks to him, he looks constipated. When his clients speak to him, it’s constipation again.
What makes it even worse is that young Christian Wolff (played by Seth Lee) does a much finer job of depicting a savant who has difficulty communicating with others. Young Christian Wolff outshines adult Christian Wolff in this respect, and it’s just… embarrassing.
Marybeth and Ray’s subplot is pointless
Ray (J.K. Simmons) and Marybeth (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) are on the side of the law, and also after Christian Wolff. The problem is that their paths never quite intersect and they don’t fulfil a critical purpose in the story. They function more as additional exposition fairies, there to dole out information about Christian Wolff that we couldn’t get any other way.
Ben Affleck shows little variation in acting in “The Accountant”.
Should you watch this if it’s free? Yes.
Should you watch it at weekday movie ticket prices? No.
Score: 2.0/5
“The Accountant” opens in cinemas:
- 13 October 2016 (Singapore)
- 20 October 2016 (Malaysia)
- 2 November 2016 (Philippines)
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes atmarcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
