I saw this last night.....This was one of the most laughably bad, hilariously over the top, preposterous thrillers I have seen, and slightly enjoyed in a long time. Lets start with the preview, J.K Simmons talking shop with references to the Sinaloa Cartel, and 'the most dangerous men in the world', followed by quick shots of Affleck with scribbling all over the walls, brandishing a sniper rifle, ominous shots of a facade suburban life....So, I'm thinking we see the inner workings of a Mexican trafficking network, or a Japanese crime syndicate, as the Accountant falls for a girl, or gets in over his head somehow, with the US federal agent characters circling. A thriller, but an adult minded one. This isn't one of those. It's 'Assassins' (1995) with autisim.
Affleck looks like an SNL skit version of Clark Kent, a close cropped haircut, a pocket protector, and wire rim glasses on a bulked up post Batman appearance. Have you see the SNL skit with the Rock as Clark Kent? It's like that. Anyone would look at the Accountant, and ask him what the fukk he was up to....Weighing like 225 all muscle
with a pocket protector..... Everydayman, he is not. He's also, as a result, of a more often then not laugh out loud bad childhood flashbacks, an expert military trained sniper, with advanced knowledge of Indonesian fighting techniques, one of those Hollywood fantasy tough men who dispatch helpless goons by the half dozen, and collect Jackson Pollack's to show their sensitive side. I don't know much about autisim, but the movie may just know less. He's charming, and able to read people, situations, and communicate effectively whenever called upon by the script, which lurches from subplot to subplot, as you try to figure out the absurd twists that close out the movie. I was close, and called one, I am sure many will do better then me. It doesn't help that the characters motivations seem unknown to themselves, much less the audience. And they are absurd. M Knight level of absurd.
Here's a few moments from the script which I took particular exception to:
-the Accountant settles an old score with some Gambino family mobsters at the Ravenite......which is where Gotti was watched by the feds in the fukking 1980's. It's a shoe store now, and hasn't been a mob hangout in 20 years or more. The scene takes place in more or less present day.
-J.K Simmons wearing an actual fedora on an investigation, looking like Nazi war criminal in the 1940's.
-"And next month? A container ship, a million dollars in uncut cocaine at the Miami port.....Juarez Cartel" Juarez, located just across from El Paso, Texas crosses their drug shipments into the US from Chihuaua and mainly El Paso, hence the name. It's lucrative territory. And yeah, I get it, the average person doesn't know or care, but it's sloppy, amateur writing.
-The scene where the Accountant disarms and subdues a man with....his belt. Of course, by then it's comedically bad, and he's shooting, running, and gunning like a trained killer.
-A scene where the Simmons character tells the younger Treasury agent to find the Accountant in a month. A man with no known name, associates, location, just find him. No cooperating witnesses. No evidence. Obviously for the screenplays sake, a long term 18 month or 5 year investigation would be impossible....but figure something else out.
-The constant hamfisted emotional flashbacks with lots of bleary camera angles and slow motion cries of anguish.
I liked Anna Kendrick's performance, and John Lithgow chewing scenery in a throwback to 'Cliffhanger', from what began as a measured, dignified performance. Jon Bernthal is wasted, more or less. It's like someone watched 'Assassins', injected the most Hollywood style of a medical condition I have seen, and Affleck. It's entertaining, in an extremely dumb way. Do not expect a serious, or even competent thriller. This is a shoot em up fantasy more suited for young teenagers. Oscars?
This is some shyt that should have been released in January, and moved on quickly from. Watch Clark Kent from Saturday Night Live on NBC.com this a good idea of Affleck's character.
Affleck looks like an SNL skit version of Clark Kent, a close cropped haircut, a pocket protector, and wire rim glasses on a bulked up post Batman appearance. Have you see the SNL skit with the Rock as Clark Kent? It's like that. Anyone would look at the Accountant, and ask him what the fukk he was up to....Weighing like 225 all muscle
with a pocket protector..... Everydayman, he is not. He's also, as a result, of a more often then not laugh out loud bad childhood flashbacks, an expert military trained sniper, with advanced knowledge of Indonesian fighting techniques, one of those Hollywood fantasy tough men who dispatch helpless goons by the half dozen, and collect Jackson Pollack's to show their sensitive side. I don't know much about autisim, but the movie may just know less. He's charming, and able to read people, situations, and communicate effectively whenever called upon by the script, which lurches from subplot to subplot, as you try to figure out the absurd twists that close out the movie. I was close, and called one, I am sure many will do better then me. It doesn't help that the characters motivations seem unknown to themselves, much less the audience. And they are absurd. M Knight level of absurd. Here's a few moments from the script which I took particular exception to:
-the Accountant settles an old score with some Gambino family mobsters at the Ravenite......which is where Gotti was watched by the feds in the fukking 1980's. It's a shoe store now, and hasn't been a mob hangout in 20 years or more. The scene takes place in more or less present day.
-J.K Simmons wearing an actual fedora on an investigation, looking like Nazi war criminal in the 1940's.
-"And next month? A container ship, a million dollars in uncut cocaine at the Miami port.....Juarez Cartel" Juarez, located just across from El Paso, Texas crosses their drug shipments into the US from Chihuaua and mainly El Paso, hence the name. It's lucrative territory. And yeah, I get it, the average person doesn't know or care, but it's sloppy, amateur writing.
-The scene where the Accountant disarms and subdues a man with....his belt. Of course, by then it's comedically bad, and he's shooting, running, and gunning like a trained killer.
-A scene where the Simmons character tells the younger Treasury agent to find the Accountant in a month. A man with no known name, associates, location, just find him. No cooperating witnesses. No evidence. Obviously for the screenplays sake, a long term 18 month or 5 year investigation would be impossible....but figure something else out.
-The constant hamfisted emotional flashbacks with lots of bleary camera angles and slow motion cries of anguish.
I liked Anna Kendrick's performance, and John Lithgow chewing scenery in a throwback to 'Cliffhanger', from what began as a measured, dignified performance. Jon Bernthal is wasted, more or less. It's like someone watched 'Assassins', injected the most Hollywood style of a medical condition I have seen, and Affleck. It's entertaining, in an extremely dumb way. Do not expect a serious, or even competent thriller. This is a shoot em up fantasy more suited for young teenagers. Oscars?
This is some shyt that should have been released in January, and moved on quickly from. Watch Clark Kent from Saturday Night Live on NBC.com this a good idea of Affleck's character.
it definitely aint on that level, but I enjoyed the experience. For 2hrs, I was entertained.
hmmm. I have had this downloaded on my plex server but never gave it a chance. I will now