First Take: The Accountant- maths degree not needed for full enjoyment.

SYPNOSIS:

As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.

Director Gavin O’Connor hasn’t had a good year to put it bluntly. Earlier this year, he released the critically mauled Jane Got a Gun. Now he’s back with a new thriller with Ben Affleck leading the cast, and it’s actually rather good.

O’Connor blends a very complex plot with some fine character development during the film, this is evident in the level of detail he commands with his direction. However, for an action/thriller, the pacing is a little bit off, especially as the trailers hinted at a more fast paced film. Performance wise, Affleck knocks it out of the park as usual, with JK Simmons and Jeffrey Tambor putting in some good work- but without a doubt Anna Kendrick puts in a career best performance. She is able to play a serious character for a change, and audiences will definitely see her in a new light after seeing this film. The script from Bill Dubique is good, and while the dialogue may be well written, it is too heavy on the exposition side of things, with some scenes being described by fellow critics as summaries of the entire plot. It’s shot very well and the score is good, but the issues with the script keep it from being perfect.

THE VERDICT

While it may not be the film we expected, The Accountant does a very good job at being an accessible action film. The performances are great, and even with a very complex script, it doesn’t drag on and on- and that is a rare thing.

Rating: 4/5