So, it’s almost the weekend again! That means you’ll finally have more time on your hands to go to the cinema and catch up on the new releases. Today’s film review is The Accountant (Gavin O’Connor, 2016, USA).

Synopsis:ebnn

Christian Wolff, played by Ben Affleck, is an autistic math genius who likes numbers and order much more than people. Deserted by his mother for being different as a kid, Wolff was raised by his dad, who taught him how to fight hard in order to fit in in this world. Wolff grows up to be an accountant to suit his mathematic needs. However, aside his small-town CPA office, Ben Affleck works covertly for dangerous criminal organisations. With the Treasury Department laying an eye on him, Wolff takes up the job to unveil the reality behind the discrepancy Dana (Anna Kendrick) has found in the state-of-the-art robotics company. The more truth is unraveled, the more dangerous Wolff and Dana’s lives get.

Too many layers to one story:screen-shot-2016-11-01-at-21-56-22

Although it pains me to say, The Accountant was quite disappointing in terms of storytelling and plot construction. There were too many stories being told at once, and it was unclear to the audience which one the film was trying to highlight.

First of all, there’s the story of Christian Wolff growing up as an autistic boy and how he came to be. The film plays on that story with a series of recurring flashbacks to Wolff’s childhood. It begins with how his mother left him for being different, to his father violently forcing him to fight off kids at his school in order to defend himself. The flashbacks recur more than twice at different moments in the film, and at times, they seem uncalled for.  The overdose of flashbacks starts to confuse the audience, as to whether the flashbacks work as exposition to inform us, or if they’re actually the story we’re being told. Furthermore, the film ends with an explicit moralistic God-like voice-over explaining how many autistic kids grow up struggling and how we should care for them more, making the film more didactic about autism.

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However, a thriller and action story takes up just as much importance in the film. The film also tells the story of an accountant, Wolff, who has found a discrepancy with his colleague Dana within the state-of-the-art robotics corporation. They both find themselves being chased off by the head of the company, who wants to kill them before they unravel his secret to the world. The story transforms into how Wolff, the hero, saves Dana before she’s murdered.

The problem does not lay in the fact that the film wants to tell two stories at once, but it’s in how the film gives as much importance to both, instead of making one of them a backstory. This only results in the audience’s confusion, who find themselves unable to keep up with both.

jk

Furthermore, there’s another story, that is less stressed upon, but which nevertheless takes up dispensable space: The Treasury Department, led by Agent Ray King, played by J.K Simmons. The film shows us the story of Ray King and his understudy: Medina, trying to understand who this so-called mysterious accountant really is. This backstory in a way works effectively as a form of exposition to inform the audience about who Christian Wolff is. However, narratively speaking, it becomes unnecessarily excessive and invasive, as though it only wants to take up space in the film.

Ben Affleck’s acting however, remains the best part of this film. Although I wouldn’t say it’s a great film, I would say it’s still worth the watch.

Runtime: 2h 8min
Genre: Crime, Action, Drama