The Accountant is directed by Gavin O’Connor (he also directed the wonderful MMA Brother film Warrior) and stars Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, a man with High Functioning Autism who is just as good with numbers as he is with bullets and fists. He’s a freelancer who works for some of the worst people. When lots of money goes missing, they bring him in to find where it went and who took it and when they break his “moral code” he’s not afraid to go after them. Meanwhile, a high-level investigator (J.K. Simmons) in the U.S. Treasury office along with the help of an analyst is getting closer to catching him. When a low-level accountant (Anna Kendrick) at a Tech company discovers that tens of millions of dollars are missing from company accounts, Wolff is hired to take a look at the books and find the money. Of course, when he gets close bad things start to happen as whoever took the money begins tying up loose ends going after Wolff and his new accountant friend.
This is the kind of movie I could watch over and over. It’s not particularly great but it’s just entertaining enough. It feels like a superhero movie. Christian Wolff is a man with a secret identity. He can infiltrate some really bad organizations by looks at their accounting slips but he can also take them down. He’s smart enough and, more importantly, his character is believable enough to do what does. The Accounting stays in the lane of realism. There’s not a moment in this movie where the audience says “oh come on”. There’s not shooting while jumping through the air. There’s no falling down several flights of stairs using someone you’ve just killed to break your fall. There’s no dramatic car chase. It’s all very simple and it’s very methodical. It all works. This character and this movie could be compared to Jason Bourne, which is interesting because of Affleck’s friendship with Matt Damon.
As much as I liked The Accountant, it has a pretty big problem. There are so many twists in this movie. They don’t have much to do with the movie itself and they don’t really change anything. The problem is that you can see them coming from the beginning of the film which makes their realization less impactful. It’s almost as if they’re setting us up for a sequel.
I would watch that sequel. Also, John Lithgow is in this movie! How can anyone not love a movie with John Lithgow in it?!
Now, here's a look at the other new releases of the week, starting with another stand-up comedy film from Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart: What Now? is the groundbreaking, record-setting, sold-out performance of "What Now?" filmed outdoors in front of 50,000 people at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field - marking the first time a comedian has ever performed to an at-capacity football stadium. Look for appearances by Halle Berry and Don Cheadle.
Also new this week is Max Steel, in which 16-year old Max has just moved to a new town--and is desperately trying to fit in--when he discovers his body can generate the universe's most powerful energy. Unbeknown to Max, a slightly rebellious and hilarious techno-organic extraterrestrial named Steel has been keeping an eye on him, hungry for his super-human energy. When they finally meet, they discover that together they form Max Steel, a superhero possessing powerful strength beyond anything in our world. These two unlikely friends soon find themselves hunted by sinister forces who want to control Max's powers, as well as an unstoppable enemy from another galaxy.
Priceless is a powerful story of James Stevens who was, at one time, a good man with a great life -- after the tragic death of his wife and losing custody of his little girl, James is at the darkest crossroad of his life. Angry, desperate, and unable to hold down a steady job, he agrees to drive a box truck on a shady, one-time trip cross country for cash -- no questions asked but when he discovers what he is delivering is actually a who, he is compelled to save two beautiful and frightened sisters who are unaware of the danger that awaits them. This unlikely hero risks it all to save these women, confront the forces that oppose him and ultimately discover the life he was meant to live.
Now available for streaming:
Under the Shadow
Star Trek Beyond
The Legend of Tarzan
Ice age: Collision Course
Now available on DVD & Blu-Ray:
Blood Father
Ghostbusters
The Infiltrator
The Legend of Tarzan
Ice Age: Collision Course
Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Boyhood
McCabe & Mrs. Miller