Mikes Film Talk

The 2016 action thriller The Accountant gives us Ben Affleck’s deadly version of the rain man. He is, of course, a highly functional Asperger sufferer or autistic savant.

Bill Dubuque writes and  Gavin O’Connor directs this one. Many could well dismiss this film. While it can be compared to The Rain Man, the film never actually comes right out with a direct diagnosis. 

Flawed heroes

Having a heroic protagonist with some sort of “disability” is not overly unique in the film world. The Pang Brothers created a hitman in the 2000 film Bangkok Dangerous. He is a deaf-mute with an entirely different set of issues. *They then inexplicably remade the feature in 2008  with Nicholas Cage. He plays the same character only this time he was neither deaf nor mute. A real shame as he might have been better in the role if that had been the case.

Another film that had the main character as a kick-arse hero was the Thai martial arts film Chocolate. The female protagonist is all too similiar to Affleck’s character. She too is never diagnosed as being either autistic or having Aspergers. It was clear that she is, in that film, a savant in terms of martial arts. She also had some sort of mental condition.

Comparisons

There is no real other comparison to be made with Affleck’s hitman mathematician Christian Wolf. Wolf can, and indeed does, kick arse physically. He is as deadly with hand-to-hand combat as he is lethal with weapons. In Chocolate, Zen (played by JeeJa Yanin) is a savant in every sense of the word. She picks up her skills by some sort of odd osmosis. By simply watching the martial arts being executed, she performs moves perfectly. Wolf is trained by his father. 

The story

Wolf’s brother, Braxton is as deadly but he lacks the autism which makes Christian that bit more dangerous. Christian answers the call to investigate discrepancies in a major company.

Dana is the accountant who finds out someone has been systematically stealing from her bosses company. Lamar Blackburn is said boss. Ray King is the IRS treasury agent who enlists an underling to find out who “the accountant” really is. Cynthia Addai-Robinson plays Marybeth Medina, the analysis agent forced into action by King.

The movie is not “high-brow.” It is not a bog standard thriller by any means. There is enough action and plot to keep even the most jaded movie goer interested.

The main cast

Ben Affleck is Christian Wolff

Anna Kendrick is Dana Cummings.

J.K. Simmons is Ray King.

Jon Bernthal is Brax.

John Lithgow is Lamar Blackburn.

Affleck

Even viewers who are not fans of Ben Affleck will enjoy the film. . Granted, the level of interaction between Affleck’s character and others in the film is subdued. However, the most endearing part of the film occurs when the two brothers meet up later in the film. “Hello Braxton,” says Wolff in a way that is sweet and completely incongruous with the scenario. It is, in fact, one of the best bits of the film.

There is an awkward attempt at a burgeoning romance between Wolf and Dana. It works, but only just, and quite wisely the film lets this matter drop without too much fanfare.

It delivers

To be perfectly honest, the movie delivers more on the action sequences. It also focuses on Christian’s almost super-human prowess. He is alike a superhero as both an accountant for the world’s most dangerous people and hitman. The Accountant pays little attention to character development.

Affleck does well as does Bernthal. The only real disappointment here is that the “twist” reveals itself all too early in the film. The constant flashbacks, despite the lack of time spent on Wolf’s brother make this a no-brainer.

Simmons brings his usual workmanlike performance. Addai-Robinson gets too little screen time, as does Kendrick. Overall the cast deliver adequately although Lithgow seems to be relegated to two dimensional baddie who panics in the end.

The verdict

The Accountant delivers and fires on most cylinders. It is a solid 4 star film that relies on the action to entertain. There are  few laughs.The interaction between Kendrick’s character and Affleck’s are humorous. This is forgivable as the film really is more action than anything else.

Affleck does well in the fight sequences and director Gavin O’Connor puts everything together nicely.  There is no sign of the star’s Batman persona. He manages to perform his deadly tasks with all the emotion of a dead-eyed doll. He only shows any real emotion when he cannot finish any job at hand.

It is well worth a look and can be watched on Amazon, iTunes, Google play and so on.

The Trailer