"The Accountant": What if Jason Bourne was a Mathematical Genius?

   The Accountant is an action-packed thriller that is equal parts funny, heart-warming, tense, and thrilling at the same time. From Gavin O'Connor, the director of Warrior, Pride and Glory, and the recent underrated western Jane Got a Gun, comes a tale about a high-functioning autistic accountant that is more than just a pencil-pusher. Ben Affleck shines in his portrayal of Christian Wolff, a CPA who does business cooking the books for heightened criminals. When low level accountant Dana (Anna Kendrick) stumbles on a mistake in her company's books, Christian is brought in to sort out the issue, only to uncover an elaborate scheme that leads to hostile consequences. It's as if Jason Bourne and Good Will Hunting had a love child. (Yeah, I'm gonna roll with that).

   This film has a very unique narrative style, in that it forgoes the conventional linear approach and gives you pieces here and there that don't get explained until much later. I really dug that about this movie. I love when movies stray from the norm and explore new and different ways to tell their stories. That being said, this movie mingles a host of genres into one, and there are moment where the tone is a bit fuzzy. I didn't find that distracting at all, but I think that aspect will place this movie in the "not-for-everyone" category. Some are going to want more action, some less. It's a delicate balance of various aspects that give you the final result you'll see on screen, and for me I think it works. The action that it does have is brutal, visceral, well-shot and choreographed. Seeing this highly intellectual math genius go Jason Bourne on people is super fun...thus my spot on comparison earlier, lol.

   It's no secret that Ben Affleck is an incredibly talented actor, and I think he gives one of his best performances to date in this film. He captures the introvert-autistic genius so well, and it isn't over-the-top. Sometimes when mentally ill characters are portrayed in films, actors go too Hollywood and it just becomes less believable. I think overall the portrayal of the mentally ill children and adults were done right and respectful, especially the children. Through the unusual narrative, we see flashbacks of Christian growing up with his brother and army Father, and they're heart-wrenching scenes. They never feel out of place and they are shot really, really well. Back to Ben, he truly nails this performance, which again I think is his best since probably The Town (though everything between then and now has been fantastic, so it's really not saying much). Anna Kendrick, who always seems so frail and dainty in her roles, has some really great character moments. There's a particular home-invasion scene where she does some things we haven't seen her do yet and it was pretty cool to see. J. K. Simmons plays the agent trying to track down the elusive accountant and he's another one who seems like he can do no wrong. Plus there's Jon Bernthal. That's right, Batman and The Punisher are in a movie together, and it is awesome. Across the board, this movie was well-acted, well-crafted, and a complete joy to watch. I highly recommend seeing it.