FILM REVIEW: The Accountant (15)

This time, he’s in front of the lens for this noteworthy genre entry from acclaimed director Gavin O’Connor, starring as a maths genius that works for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal operations.

Behind the façade of small mall-based financial firm Christian Wolff (Affleck) has well-meaning ulterior motives – after being raised with personal autistic difficulties – but when he takes on a legitimate client with a state-of-the-art robotics company he uncovers a conspiracy that brings his upbringing into play.

Said upbringing was being trained by martial arts experts when he was younger at the behest of his ‘hardline’ military officer father (Robert C. Treveiler) – which has left him with ‘Bourne-esque’ combat and weaponry skills – and when a young accounting clerk (Pitch Perfect’s Anna Kendrick) uncovers a discrepancy involving millions of dollars, the duo go on the run with a hitman known as ‘The Assassin’ (Jon ‘The Punisher’ Bernthal from Netflix’s Daredevil) on their tail.

To make matters worse the Treasury’s Crime Enforcement Division – led by JK Simmon’s (Whiplash) Ray King – are closing in on Wolff’s whereabouts as well, with rookie agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) piecing together the puzzle to his mysterious identity.

And while The Accountant does have a few pacing issues and glaring plot holes (dead bodies left at a farm 
yard never to be mentioned again is just one example), it does offer enough twists and turns of ingenuity to make this above-average thriller fare which punches above its weight.

Affleck again continues to show a nice variation in character roles with the intriguing Wolff, and he is ably backed up by the always-good value presences of Simmons, Kendrick and Bernthal, as The Accountant fluctuates being a good old-fashioned drama – and something reminiscent to last year’s impressive John Wick. It does outstay its welcome a tad, but crunches enough of the big numbers to end up the right side of taxing.

Rating: 3.5/5