The Accountant (2016) - Movie Review

The Accountant is an action-drama-thriller directed by Gavin O'Connor, who directed one of my favorite films of 2011 i.e Warrior, and it is about a guy with neurological disorder/autism who lives as an accountant (both normal and the dangerous kind), using his disorder to his benefit. Now, this isn't an action heavy movie with fights around every corner, but instead is a drama with some thrilling action sequences. The movie takes its time to tell you about the main character, as well as secondary ones. It sets up the world well enough that you care and are involved in the plot, which is something I quite enjoyed and it even felt a bit fresh.

Ben Affleck gave an excellent performance as the accountant. He had subtlety, depicting the character's issues with socializing quite well, and at the same time showing dedication and fierceness when needed. Anna Kendrick was sweet and fun as the love-interest, and I enjoyed her rather limited screen time. JK Simmons was good as the boss; he's always good, and he's usually a boss of some kind. Jon Bernthal was great as the badass assassin/secret security etc, and I think such roles suit him perfectly.

The movie had a really fine sound design, utilizing all speakers properly, especially during action sequences. I had an eargasm after listening to the .50 Cal shots. The gun-combat, as well as the hand-to-hand one, were executed quite well. You could feel the impact and the intensity.

Where this movie faltered for me was in the pacing. The movie has a lot of sub-plots going on, and sometimes it didn't mesh well. There's a lot of exposition and back history, and while it was interesting, it wasn't spread out properly. You get long gaps and then a huge exposition dump scene. Would have been better if they spread it out evenly throughout the movie. Also, the story is predictable at parts.

All in all, it was a great watch for me, despite some flaws. It has a feeling of other movies with a badass protagonist like the Bourne Franchise, but the way it is executed makes it fresher, and still entertaining. I'd recommend it to anyone, definitely worth a try.

8/10

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