The Accountant

O'Connor disappointed me. Warrior was the best made cliché in history and completely blew me away, The Accountant is as cold as a woman on her period and downright insulting when it fails to end its so cleverly written story with progressively more significant themes in a way that would be at least somewhat memorable (and instead pulls off the most inappropriate twist for a narrative so serious and smart throughout). No one can deny the film is excellently cast (Affleck is perfect for the role), has balls, and the idea of a bespectacled autistic bureaucrat as a bad ass motherfucker terminator is awfully cool, but the director can only sell all that potential entertainment in a few action moments, otherwise he can't handle the surprising dramatic superficiality, unfortunately. And I was really looking forward to it. 65% (08/12/2016)

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)

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. (03/11/2016)

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. (01/05/2017)

If you ignore the overcomplicated plot, the laughable attempts at psychological profoundness and the weird twists, it works fine. The statuesque Affleck is a good choice for the character of an autist (regardless of whether his character has anything to do with the real capabilities of an autist). The action is good and executed without hesitation; a 7/10 overall, and I’m rounding up for how they settle the tab with the main villain. (16/11/2016)