The Accountant

A sophisticated B-movie, which pretends to be serious but in fact it’s a movie about a guy who combines Will Hunting/Jason Bourne/John Nash/Frank Castle/Raymond Babbitt/John Wick. Simply put Chuck Norris doesn’t stand a change. So a mathematical autistic outstanding genius accountant is chasing everyone with a gun in his hand and tries to cope with matters of the heart and uncompromising fatherly love among countless headshots. Simply B-movie, roller-coaster ride. The movie is simply a lot of fun. It shouldn't work on paper and it should have been silly and have had potential to win this year's Golden Raspberries Award. But... But contrary to all expectations, it works. And really well (especially in the first half). It's distinctive in a way good-old European crime movie of 1970s used to be. The only weak point is silly effort for the final twist, relying on the identity of one of the characters. At the same time, it was only in the middle of the movie when I realized that the characters/viewers, according to the creators, probably are not supposed know it from the very beginning. (11/03/2016)

All right, autistic people are beautiful creatures, but don't give them weapons and super computers, because they'll probably start a secret service. I haven't seen a film in a long time that falls apart so grandiose after a captivating introduction. The first part, where the viewer actually watches the very routine actions of the main character and a few hints, is not boring and attracts with promises of interesting revelations. Gavin O'Connor also directs very smoothly and elegantly. The second half, where the information deficit is being addressed and something needs to be unraveled quickly, was probably written in a secret collaboration between Cimrman and Jarchovský. I haven't seen an explanatory monologue used worse since Innocence. When J. K. Simmons, with his feet on the table, explaining 90% of the story, it's on the verge of non-art. And the final revelations are really almost a crazy comedy. If at the beginning the question arises as to whether realism and action exaggeration will be fighting against each other in the film, the conclusion offers a ready-made orgy of things that do not fit together. I absolutely appreciate the grace with which both Affleck and (again amazing) Bernthal handle the WTF moments. And I don't have to be autistic to figure it out. (01/01/2017)

To my own amazement, I gave five stars to a film starring Ben Affleck. What’s the world coming to? On the other hand, the role of an autistic guy must have been tailor-made for his expressionless face. The script ran like clockwork, and I had a great time, especially when it was revealed who the all-knowing woman on the phone was. As a bonus, I got J.K. Simmons and John Lithgow, so I couldn't give a lower rating even if I wanted to. (04/11/2017)

Definitely one of the surprises of the year. This intricate psychological drama about autism, O'Connor is interspersed with John Wick-style brutal, kick-ass action. Affleck is brilliantly cast. The story moves along nicely and there’s always something happening. Even the accounting part is entertaining. No shortage of witty situations involving Ben vs. the Normal World. Bernthal makes a great villain. Imagine Batman vs. Punisher, who wouldn’t watch that? (11/04/2016)

Unfortunately, I didn't trust Ben Affleck with this character for even a moment (well, okay, in the action scenes let's say I did, but that's probably not what it was supposed to be about). Moreover, the story is one that can surprise the viewer, but surprise him with such unbelievable shenanigans that he can't help but shake his head at them. (05/01/2017)