by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
When money goes missing from your company, you call in Christian Wolff, known simply as “The Accountant”. While his social skills might be lacking, his accounting skills are impeccable. This mathematical genius will find your leak, and he might just have the skills to plug it up (for a substantial fee of course). Although it might not sound like it, Christian has another secret…He doesn’t just work with big businesses, he also works for the criminal world as well. The Accountant arrives in theaters today!
The U.S. Treasury is seeking information about “The Accountant”. This mystery man has been spotted while meeting with many known criminal organizations. Treasury Agent Ray King (Simmons) has brought in analyst Marybeth Medina (Addai-Robinson) to help track down this man and bring him to justice. While the government continues their search, Christian Wolff takes on a new client named Lamar Black (Lithgow). Black’s company is best known for their work with prosthetics and robotics, and it seems that millions of dollars has vanished from their books. With some unwanted help from assistant Dana Cummings (Kendrick), Wolff beings to unravel the truth about this company, and the dark secrets it has behind its closed doors. What happens when someone at the company learns about the missing money? Wolff finds himself racing against time to save Dana from certain death. Who is Brax (Bernthal) and what connection does he have with Wolff?
The Accountant features an amazing cast including Ben Affleck (Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice), J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man Trilogy), Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Arrow), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun), and Jean Smart (Fox’s 24). All of the cast members got a chance to shine, but I thoroughly enjoyed Bernthal’s performance as Brax. This character was a bit of a mixture between Shane from The Walking Dead, and the Punisher, and had a great balance of intensity and levity. Affleck’s portrayal of Wolff was very interesting for the actor, as the character came across as a mixture of Rain Man and Jason Bourne (you thought I was going to say Batman…didn’t you?). Simmons, Tambor, and Lithgow rounded out the film perfectly, and each actor was a welcomed addition to the overall story. I also want to mention how great it was seeing Addai-Robinson in this role. I always enjoyed her characterization of Amanda Waller on Arrow, and it was nice getting to see her on the big screen.
While the cast for the film was fantastic, the overall structure of the film was a bit haphazard. It felt like Director Gavin O’Connor (Miracle) didn’t really know what type of film he wanted to make. The film jumps genres pretty frequently, moving between action, drama, comedy, political thriller, and crime drama. While this was jarring at times, I still enjoyed my overall experience.
Overall
The Accountant is definitely an offbeat movie, but it has a cast of characters that make it worth seeing in theaters. If you are looking for something outside of the norm for this weekend, check this one out. You might be pleasantly surprised.
ComicsOnline gives The Accountant – 4 out of 5 priceless paintings.
