The Accountant

In 1999, Director Gavin O’Connor made an absolutely wonderful film called Tumbleweeds that brought him substantial financial rewards from its sale, but not the fame he deserved due to poor marketing decisions by its distributor.  I’m hoping that his new film The Accountant will, finally, give him his fame.

This is an absolutely brilliant film that will definitely vie for my favorite of the year.

Not only is it a taut thriller of the first degree, but the script by Writer Bill Dubuque is first rate, bringing humor and pathos into a story that has both grim and sweet surprises up to the very end.

Ben Affleck as accountant Christian Wolff, a man suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome who grew up under the thumb of a tyrannical father (Robert C. Treveiler), is a savant with a clientele that includes terrorists, drug traffickers, assassins and others of ill repute. Under pursuit by the Treasury Bureau, he takes a legit client (John Lithgow) to go underground, but that turns out to open him to even more danger.

Affleck gives possibly his best performance to date, Anna Kendrick is perfect as a savvy, young accountant and the balance of the cast, including J.K. Simmons, Jeffrey Tambor, Jean Smart, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson and all the backup actors show that Casting Directors Nicole Abellara and Jeanne McCarthy are at the top of their game.

Production values led by Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey are superb, as well.

The Accountant is a must-see for action fans, but will, also, be enjoyed by all film viewers.  I give it a 4.9 out of 5.