Film: The Accountant

The Accountant with Ben Affleck was a movie I had been looking forward to for a little while. The trailer sets the film’s protagonist up to be this really interesting, mathematical genius named Christian Wolf (played by Ben Affleck) who does some kick-ass things as an accountant — all the while falling in love with Anna Kendrick, who I’ve always adored for obvious reasons.

Wolf, a math savant, does accounting for his small town CPA office (as a cover) while also doing some crazy dangerous freelance accounting work for even more crazy dangerous people. He ends up making so much money that he doesn’t report it in his taxes. Duh. As his backstory slowly unfolds and an unbelievable and awkward romance sparks, the film eventually sets us up with a plot: the Treasury Department notices a flaw in its system and begins tracking down the mystery accountant no one seems to know.

Unfortunately, the movie drags on. I was waiting for the movie to reach some destination, but it left me short-ended. Even though the story sounds good on paper, seeing it on the screen left me very disappointed. Each character falls short — so you’re never relating to anyone. The action is almost cheesy, and the movie’s chase to see if Wolf will get caught ends up a sheer disappointment.