When you need someone to take care of your books or maybe kill someone, you call The Accountant. I’m giving it an A-.
Christian Wolff (played by Ben Affleck) has high-functioning Asperger’s. Growing up as the oldest son of a military man and his wife, Christian’s only friend was his brother, Brax. His father was determined to not allow his handicap to dictate his life and trained him to fight back. As an adult, Christian helps drug cartels and foreign governments launder their money and protect their assets. He’s a genius with numbers but when one of his clients goes against his moral code, he is forced to set things right. And now the Treasury department is after him.
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With an amazing cast including, Jean Smart, JK Simmons, John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor, The Accountant sizzles. From the first frame we learn more and more about Christian, leading us through his past and to the climactic ending. It was nice to see so many well-known 80’s stars in this movie!
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Ben Affleck isn’t a favorite of mine but his ability to get inside the character of Christian is astounding. The awkward pauses, miscues of other people’s comments, his inability to meet other people’s gazes, and the strange routines demonstrate the aspects of Asperger’s. Ben shows all these in a way that still respects the people who really live it. The quirks and deep stares, which he is known for with his characters like Batman, deepen the understanding of Christian’s disability.
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For such a dark movie…seriously there was a high body count and I learned how to fight with just a belt, the movie has its moments of humor. The times you laugh out loud will surprise you. I made many guesses throughout the movie as how things connected. Sometimes, I was right and others…I wasn’t. The flashback scenes only enhance the understanding rather than detract. It’s obvious when done right, flashbacks can give vital information.
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My only gripe about the movie was the preachiness of Asperger’s and children with disabilities. The director could have used the strong images to show rather than repeating the mantra about how children shouldn’t all be measured against the same outcomes. One of the tenants of writing is to show not tell and I believe without the extra comments, the director does show it. The movie could be just as powerful without the preachiness.
This is a movie to see. A wonderful who-done-it, with a high body count, you’ll enjoy the surprises in The Accountant.
This is a movie to see. A wonderful who-done-it, with a high body count, you’ll enjoy the surprises in The Accountant.
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