Film directed by Gavin O’Connor
5 stars
I was picked up from a long haul flight by my dad a few years, having watched The Accountant on the in-flight service.
We got a takeaway for dinner and I told him about the film, unsure if it was really good or if I’d been sleepy and easy pleased.
To check, and because we live simple lives, we rented it on Amazon Prime and I watched it for the second time in 24 hours.
The next morning, to make the most of the £2.99 rental that expires after 48 hours, my dad watched it again, too. We both love the film.
Why? I can’t really justify why.
Ben Affleck is brilliant- I guess that’s a big part of it. He plays a genius autistic accountant who goes around “uncooking the books” for the world’s most wanted criminals. Drama ensues while a back story is fed to us and the threads of three different story lines are stitched together.
I don’t know if my love of this film is linked to the same feeling I enjoy while reading The Rosie Project (a book with another autistic protagonist). Both show the clear struggles of living with autism, but also the endearing quirks, while championing a “not less than just different” message.
My favourite quote from the film needs some attachment to Christian (Ben Affleck’s character) to be appreciated I think, but here it is anyway:
Christian Wolff: If I don’t do something, Dana will die.
Justine: Risking your life for a girl you’ve known a week, why?
[no response]
Justine: Heavy sigh… what’s the plan?
Christian Wolff: Find the person who wants to kill her.
Justine: And?
Christian Wolff: Shoot them in the head.
Did I mention the genius autistic accountant is also a deadly killer?
I mean, come on, “shoot them in the head” is very funny. I am partly laughing at, and partly laughing with: either way I’m enjoying the film.
It’s an action movie with some good twists, some good fight scenes, some silly dialogue, and (from Ben Affleck at least) some good acting. Plus it’s now on Netflix so you can watch it as many times as you like in a 24 hour period, like I did yesterday. 5 stars!
