The Accountant

The three minute ending was surprisingly moving, and it helped you to forget the confusing  two hours that preceded it.

Director Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant left me a bit befuddled. Though the plot is so idiotically violent that it will leave you shaking your head in disbelief, it has an endearing ending that involved the wonderful song by Sean Rowe, “To Leave Something Behind”, that allows the film to rise from its ashes.

Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff, an autistic savant accountant with unmatched mathematical skills. Practicing in a small suburban office, he lends his talent to some of the most dangerous criminal organizations circling the globe. Raised by a twisted father who was a member of the military, he and his brother Brax (John Bernthal) were trained to have everything needed in life to succeed except a conscience. On top of that, Christian’s skills with a rifle or revolver were unmatched.

Let me put it this way. Mr. Wolff kills a lot of people, usually focusing on one shot to the head. As an investigating arm of the United States Treasury, led by Ray King (J.K. Simmons) with the help of his emotionally abused assistant Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Adai-Robinson), closes in on him, Wolff takes a legitimate job for a robotics company that leads to unanticipated problems.

In the process, he meets Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick), a young company accountant who, along with everybody else, becomes a target of international hit men. I would try to explain to you how that happened, but it is never really made clear in the entire film.

Though Jeffrey Tambour and John Lithgow make small contributions to the film, the only really interesting character in the entire movie is Mr. Bernthal. As noted from his great performances in last year’s Sicario and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Mr. Bernthal is a talented actor who you should follow in the future.

Before finishing, I need to again admit that I am not a fan of Mr. Affleck. Despite his fine performance in The Town (2010), he is an actor with limited range as reflected by his lamentable roles in this year’s Batman v. Superman, Hollywoodland (2006), Jersey Girl (2004) and Gigli (2003).

After watching his performance as the lightweight husband in Gone Girl (2014), I have a recommendation on how he can succeed in future roles. Given the fact that he is slated to appear in future Batman roles running through 2019, I suggest that he repeat his role as an autistic savant. Mr. Afflect is perfect for a role where he displays little emotion and says even less.

Anyone disagree?