"THE ACCOUNTANT" (2016) Review

 

"THE ACCOUNTANT" (2016) Review

I have seen some unusual crime dramas in my life. Most of these films or television programs usually revolved around odd narrative structures, characters in unusual situations or characters with eccentric ticks. And I have also seen the occasional film about autistic characters. But for the likes of me, I cannot recall seeing a crime drama of any form in which the main character is autistic . . . until I saw the recent film, "THE ACCOUNTANT".

Written by Bill Dubuque and directed by Gavin O'Connor, "THE ACCOUNTANT" told the story of Christian Wolff, a mental calculator who works as a forensic accountant at ZZZ Accounting in Plainfield, Illinois. Christian also tracks insider financial deceptions for numerous criminal enterprises. His services are brokered to him by a "Voice on his phone", from a restricted number. Christian had been diagnosed with a high-functioning form of autism and offered an opportunity to live at Harbor Neuroscience Institute in New Hampshire. However, his Army officer father thought otherwise and decided Christian learn to overcome his autism via extensive training in martial arts and sharpshooting. This decision drove Christian's mother to leave his family, which included a younger brother.

The story begins with "The Voice" giving Christian a new assignment - auditing state-of-the-art robotics corporation Living Robotics, whose in-house accountant, Dana Cummings, has found suspicious financial discrepancies. The company's CEO and his sister, Lamar Blackburn, and his sister, associate Rita Blackburn, willingly cooperate with Christian's investigation; but CFO Ed Chilton dismisses Dana's findings as a mistake. When Christian - with minor help from Dana - eventually discover the embezzlement of $61 million dollars from the company, a hitman named Braxton forces the diabetic Chilton to self-administer a fatal insulin overdose by threatening to kill both him and his wife brutally in the manner of a home invasion. The Blackburns later surmises that Chilton was the embezzler and close the investigation, leaving Christian distraught as he has not completed his study. However, the embezzler decides that both Christian and Dana still poses a major threat and instructs Braxton and his men to kill the pair. At the same time, Christian's past activities have attracted the attention of Raymond King, the director of FinCEN in the Treasury Department, who recruits a young data analyst named Marybeth Medina into helping him identify and arrest Christian. He does this via blackmail by threatening to expose her undeclared criminal past if she refuses.

Judging from the above mentioned plot, one would surmise that "THE ACCOUNTANT" has a complicated plot. I would not say that. I would not label Dubuque's screenplay as simplistic or unoriginal. But I must admit that the embezzlement plot was not exactly a brain teaser for me. It did not take me very long to figure out the identity of the embezzler and Braxton's client. More importantly, Christian's final encounter with the embezzler ended on a . . . well, anti-climatic note for me. Let me rephrase this. That final encounter started out rather exciting, due to Christian's fights with Braxton and his men, who found themselves serving as the embezzler's bodyguard. But the manner in which that entire action scene ended struck me as anti-climatic and rather disappointing.

Despite its ending, I must admit that I found most of "THE ACCOUNTANT" rather enjoyable. The creme of the movie proved to be its deep exploration of the Christian Wolff character struck me as very interesting - especially the flashbacks featuring his childhood and the tragic circumstances that led to his father's death. The story delved into his problems with overcoming his autism, his father's refusal to consent professional counseling for his, and his struggles to interact with others. The movie also explored Christian's few successes in forming relationships with a small handful of people that include his younger brother; the mute daughter of the Harbor Neuroscience Institute's director named Justine; an accountant he had met during a brief stint in prison named Francis Silverberg; an Illinois farm couple that allowed him to practice his sharpshooting on his property; and Dana Cummings. I was also taken by surprised by Christian's connection to FinCEN Agent King and the latter's reason for coercing Agent Medina to investigate the case. Perhaps this is why "THE ACCOUNTANT" worked better as a character study/crime drama . . . without the mystery of the embezzler's identity attached to it.

"THE ACCOUNTANT" featured some solid performances from the supporting cast that included John Lithgow, Jean Smart, Jeffrey Tambor, Andy Umberger, Alison Wright, Robert C. Treveiler, Ron Prather and Susan Williams. But I especially enjoyed Jon Bernthal's performance as the ruthless, yet sardonic hit man, Braxton. I also enjoyed Cynthia Addai-Robinson's portrayal as the blackmailed Agent Marybeth Medina, whose fear of being exposed gradually crumbled away due to a desire to pursue justice. J.K. Simmons gave an interesting performance as Agent Ray King, whose ruthless pursuit of Christian proved to be unusually emotional. Anna Kendrick gave a rather charming performance as accountant Dana Cummings, whose original response to Christian seemed to be one of bewilderment. As the two become close, both Kendrick and Ben Affleck developed a charming, sibling-like chemistry on-screen.

Speaking of Affleck, I thought he gave one of the most interesting performances of his career, so far. I realize that many critics and moviegoers tend to overlook Affleck's acting skills - something that I never understood - but I thought he really knocked it out of the ballpark portraying a character who was not only a highly skilled ex-military type, but also someone who is both a mental calculator and is autistic. Hollywood has featured a lead who is autistic (1988's "RAIN MAN") and even a young autistic boy who had witnessed a murder (1998's "MERCURY RISING"). But a leading man in an action film? The character of Christian Wolff and Ben Affleck's performance was something quite new to me.

Yes, I will admit that I was a little disappointed by the mystery surrounding the movie's embezzling plot. I was also a bit disappointed by how the movie's final action sequence ended. I found it a bit too anti-climatic. But I really enjoyed the rest of the movie, especially its portrayal of the main character, Christian Wolff. I thought director Gavin O'Connor handled both an interesting story created by screenwriter Bill Dubuque and an excellent cast, led by the talented Ben Affleck, in what I believe might be one of his most interesting roles.

"THE ACCOUNTANT" (2016) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from the 2016 crime drama, "THE ACCOUNTANT". Directed by Gavin O'Connor, the movie starred Ben Affleck:



"THE ACCOUNTANT" (2016) Photo Gallery

My Ranking of the JACK RYAN Movies

Below is my ranking of the five movies featuring C.I.A. character Jack Ryan, created by Tom Clancy.  Four of these movies were adaptations of Clancy’s novels:

MY RANKING OF THE JACK RYAN MOVIES

1.  “Clear and Present Danger” (1994) - In this adaptation of Clancy’s 1989 novel, C.I.A. analyst-turned-Acting Deputy Director Jack Ryan finds himself drawn into an illegal and secret war by the U.S. government against a Colombian drug cartel.  Directed by Philip Noyce, Harrison Ford starred for the second time as Ryan.

2.  “The Hunt For Red October” (1990) - John McTiernan directed this adaptation of Clancy’s 1984 novel, Ryan figures out that a rogue Soviet Navy submarine commander is planning to defect and scrambles to find a way to help the defection to happen without the Soviet Union’s knowledge.  The movie starred Sean  Connery and Alec Baldwin as Ryan.

3.  “The Sum of All Fears” (2002) - In this loose adaptation of Clancy’s 1990 novel, Ryan stumbles across a neo-Nazi plan to use a catastrophic event to start a conflict between the United States and Russia.  Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, the movie starred Ben Affleck as Ryan.

4.  “Patriot Games” (1992) - This adaptation of Clancy’s 1987 novel featured Ryan facing the consequences of his decision to interfere with the assassination of a minor member of the British Royal Family by an extremist faction of the I.R.A.  Directed by Philip Noyce, this movie featured Harrison Ford’s first turn as Ryan.

5.  “Jack Ryan:  Shadow Recruit” (2014) - This original story featured Ryan uncovering a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack, during his early years as a C.I.A. analyst.  Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the movie starred Chris Pine as Ryan.

"THE TOWN" (2010) Review

"THE TOWN" (2010) Review

I have never seen ”GONE BABY GONE”, Ben Affleck’s debut as a movie director. But after seeing his second directorial effort for the first time, ”THE TOWN”, I found myself feeling determined to see it. Why? Nine years ago, I believed that Affleck had a possible future as a successful movie director.  I still do. 

Based upon Chuck Hogan’s 2007 novel called ”Prince of Thieves”, ”THE TOWN” turned out to be an interesting crime drama about a working-class Bostonian from the Charlestown neighborhood named Doug MacRay, who also happened to be part of a gang of brutal bank robbers. Their robbery of a Cambridge bank at the beginning of the movie allowed him to become acquainted with Claire Keesey, one of the bank’s managers. Doug and his fellow bank robbers also attracted the attention of one Special Agent Adam Frawley, a ruthless FBI agent bent upon capturing or killing them.

I have never read Hogan’s novel. But I must admit that I really enjoyed Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard’s adaptation of it. One aspect of the movie that impressed me was its balanced mixture of action, romance and psychological drama. In fact, I found myself surprised that as the film’s director, Affleck managed to utilize all of these different aspects of the story and keep the pacing from becoming uneven. Another aspect of the movie that impressed me turned out to be Robert Elswit’s photography. His sharp colors and focus gave Boston – including its old sections - a colorful look that made me long to pack my belongings and move to the East Coast. Dylan Tichenor’s editing perfectly emphasized the movie’s action sequences without resorting to the dizzying camera work and quick cuts that seemed to have pervaded many action films in the past twelve to fourteen years.

There were some aspects of ”THE TOWN” that I found questionable. The movie never explained the military-style haircuts worn by the four bank robbers. The script revealed that the MacRay character had spent some time in the military, but never made it clear when that happened. Nor did the script ever revealed the background of MacRay’s friends, especially his best friend James “Jem” Coughlin. And as much as I admire Jon Hamm as an actor, his attempt at a Boston accent sucked. Although he only made an attempt in one scene, Affleck should have reshot that scene with Hamm’s natural accent. Speaking of accents, there were moments when I found the cast’s use of Boston slang rather incomprehensible when I first saw the film. The close captions on my DVD copy really came in handy.

Unlike his directorial debut ”GONE BABY GONE”, Ben Affleck did not remain behind the camera. He also portrayed the main character, Doug MacRay. And he did an excellent job in portraying the complex bank robber torn between his life of crime, the woman he fell in love with and the lies he told to maintain their relationship. I have always enjoyed Affleck’s ability to portray complex characters. It seems a pity that many film critics and moviegoers seemed incapable of appreciating his talents as an actor. Although I have been aware of Rebecca Hall for the past decade or so, I must admit that I never found her earlier roles very interesting. I almost came to the same conclusion about her role as bank manager Claire Keesey . . . until the moment when she discovered the truth about Doug’s crimes. At that moment, Hall breathed life into the role, transforming her from what would be conceived as a nice woman, into a character that proved to be just as complex as the others.

Jon Hamm took time off from his hit television series, ”MAD MEN” to portray F.B.I. Special Agent Adam Frawley, a character completely different from his 1960s ad man. And being the top notch actor he has always been, Hamm did a superb job in conveying his character’s ruthless determination to stop the bank robbers by any means necessary. Jeremy Renner had earned his second Oscar nomination for portraying the equally ruthless character, Charlestown bank robber, James “Jem” Coughlin, with great depth, complexity and first-rate acting. What made Renner’s performance so interesting to me was his character’s ruthless determination to maintain the status quo in his personal life – which included keeping MacRay in his life and in his sister’s life. Speaking of the latter, Blake Lively gave an outstanding performance as Krista Coughlin, Jem’s younger sister. Lively’s excellent performance easily conveyed her character’s weariness and desperate longing for MacRay to be in her life and to escape the economic and social trap of Charlestown.

Veteran actors Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite gave brief, yet top-notch performances in ”THE TOWN”. What I found ironic about their appearances was that their characters had something to say to Affleck’s MacRay about the latter's mother. Cooper portrayed Stephen MacRay, Doug’s jailbird father, who was serving a life-long prison term for robbery and murder. Postlethwaite portrayed Fergie the Florist, an Irish-born florist and crime boss that provided robbery jobs for MacRay and his crew. As I had stated earlier, both characters had something to say about the late Mrs. MacRay. Whereas Mr. MacRay’s memories were filled with cynicism and resignation, Fergie spoke of Doug’s mother with a great deal of malice and contempt. And both Cooper and Postlethwaite were superb in their roles.

Despite a few quibbles I might have about ”THE TOWN”, I must admit that I enjoyed it very much. The movie turned out to be a first-rate adaptation of Chuck Hogan’s novel with an excellent script, exciting action sequences and superb acting by a well-picked cast. Because of ”THE TOWN”, I became more appreciative of Ben Affleck's directorial efforts.

"THE TOWN" (2010) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "THE TOWN",  the 2010 adaptation of Chuck Hogan's 2004 novel, "Prince of Thieves".   Directed by Ben Affleck, the movie also starred him, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, and Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner: 

"THE TOWN" (2010) Photo Gallery

“Comic Book Movies: Critical Hypocrisy”

"COMIC BOOK MOVIES:  CRITICAL HYPOCRISY"

It just occurred to me that none of Marvel’s Captain America films ended on a happy note.  Yet, they have never been criticized for possessing too much angst or being depressing.  Why?

In “CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER”, Steve Rogers lost his close friend, James “Bucky” Barnes during a mission.  He was forced to crash the HYDRA plane into the cold Atlantic Ocean, where he froze for the next 66 to 67 years.  Because of the crash, his burgeoning relationship with SSR Agent Peggy Carter abruptly ended, with her believing that he had died.  The movie ended with Steve awakening in 2011 New York City as a fish out of water and the world completely changed.

“CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER” was a rather depressing film, if one is completely honest.  The only good thing that came out of it was Steve’s new friendship with Afghnanistan War veteran, Sam Wilson.  Otherwise, the movie featured the downfall of S.H.I.E.L.D., the very agency that his old love Peggy Carter, Howard Stark and Chester Philips had created, caused by a mistake they had made.  And that mistake was the recruitment of former HYDRA scientist, Armin Zola.  Steve discovered that despite the Red Skull’s death, HYDRA still exists and that it had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and the U.S. Senate.  He also discovered that his former best friend Bucky Barnes was not only alive, but also a brainwashed assassin.  Everything had went to shit by the end of film, including Steve’s career with S.H.I.E.L.D.

“CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR” was another depressing film.  It introduced the Sokovia Accords, in which enhanced beings like himself and other members of the Avengers would be forced to register with and regulated by various governments.  The main drive behind the Accords was Bruce Banner aka the Hulk’s former nemesis, Thaddeus Ross, who finally got the opportunity to control a team of enhanced beings.  The ninety-something Peggy Carter finally died.  And the Avengers faced another threat - a Sokovian named Zemo who wanted revenge for the destruction of his country (caused by Tony Stark’s creation of Ultron).  And he used the still brainwashed Bucky Barnes, whose past involved being coerced into murdering Howard and Maria Stark, to get his revenge.  Between the Accords and Zemo, the Avengers suffered a permanent split by the end of the movie.

None of the Captain America movies ended on a happy note and were filled with a great deal of angst.  On the other hand, two of the DCEU movies, “MAN OF STEEL” and “SUICIDE SQUAD” ended on a happier note.   And the latter was filled with a great deal of humor.  Yet, both, along with “BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE”, have been criticized for being “depressing and angst-riddled”.  So, why is it that the DCEU movies have been critized for this and the MCU’s Captain America films have not?  Hypocrisy much?

"STATE OF PLAY" (2009) Review

Below is my review of the 2009 political thriller, "STATE OF PLAY", starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck: 


"STATE OF PLAY" (2009) Review

Twelve years ago, the BBC aired a six-part miniseries about a London journalist who investigated the death of a young aide for a Member of Parliament, who also happened to be the journalist's friend. The miniseries not only became a critical and ratings hit, it spawned a Hollywood remake - the 2009 political thriller by the same title called "STATE OF PLAY". 

Directed by Kevin MacDonald, "STATE OF PLAY" is about a Washington D.C. newspaper's investigation into the death of a young congressional aide named Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer) and centers around the relationship between leading journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) and his old friend Robert Collins (Ben Affleck), a U.S. congressman on the fast track and Baker’s employer. When Congressman Collins learns of his aide’s death, he asks his old friend, McAffrey to investigate her death when it is labeled as a suicide. McAffrey and a blogger with his newspaper named Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) not only learn that Baker was Congressman Collins’ mistress, but there might be a connection between her death and the private military company that the congressman was investigating.

I have heard a few proclaim that the original British miniseries is superior to this version. I have seen the miniseries. I must admit that I found it impressive, but . . . I cannot agree that it was better. However, I cannot say the same about this movie remake. I found both versions to be flawed, yet very impressive. As for this movie, Kevin Macdonald’s solid direction; screenwriters Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, Peter Morgan, and Billy Ray created a tight thriller filled with interesting glimpses into the press and Washington politics. I doubt that this film will ever be critically acclaimed like the British miniseries or earn any award nominations. I find this a pity, because I believe it was a solid, well-acted movie filled with first-rate performances. And its story did not end on a disappointed note. As far as I am concerned, both the 2003 miniseries and the 2009 movie are equal in quality.

Russell Crowe led the cast, portraying Washington Globe journalist, Cal McAffrey. I would not consider his role as interesting as the Ed Hoffman character from ”BODY OF LIES”, Bud White in "L.A. CONFIDENTIAL", Jeffrey Wigand in ”THE INSIDER” or his Oscar winning role in ”GLADIATOR” - Maximus Decimus Meridius. His Cal McAffrey is on the surface, an affable, yet slightly jaded reporter who becomes a relentless truth-seeker when pursuing a special story. In the case of Sonia Baker, McAffrey’s relentless investigation seemed rooted in his desire to extract his friend Collins from the gossip slingers over the latter’s affair with the aide and focus upon bringing down the private military company being investigated by Collins. Crowe is at turns relaxed and at the same time, intense and single-minded in his pursuit of journalistic truth.

Several years ago, I had found myself thinking that if there was ever a remake of the 1950 classic, "SUNSET BOULEVARD", who could portray the doomed Hollywood screenwriter, Joe Gillis. The first person that immediately came to my mind was Ben Affleck. Actress Nancy Olson once described William Holden at the time that particular movie was filmed as the typical handsome Hollywood leading actor . . . but with a touch of corruption that made his Joe Gillis so memorable. Frankly, I could say the same about Affleck. I saw him display this same trait in movies like "BOUNCE" and "HOLLYWOODLAND". And I could see it in his performance as Congressman Robert Collins. Affleck managed to skillfully project Collins not only as a dedicated crusader who is determined to bring down the private military company with a congressional investigation, but also a flawed man who became sexually attracted to his beautiful aide, while struggling to control his anger at the knowledge of his wife Anne’s (Robin Wright Penn) past affair with McAffrey.

The rest of the cast included Rachel McAdams’ first-rate portrayal of a popular blogger turned junior political reporter named Della Frye, who finds herself in the midst of the career-making story and mentored by McAffrey. Helen Mirren’s Washington Globe editor Cameron Lynne is wonderfully splashy and strong, without being over-the-top. I could say the same for Jason Bateman’s performance as a bisexual fetish club promoter named Dominic Foy, who has the information that McAffrey and Frye need. Michael Berresse portrayed a mysterious hitman named Robert Bingham and he does a pretty good job. However, I must admit that I found his performance as a sociopath a little over-the-top . . . especially in his last scene. Although not as memorable as some of the other supporting cast, both Harry Lennix as a stalwart Washington D.C. cop and Jeff Daniels as Affleck’s manipulative congressional mentor gave solid support to the movie. And there is Robin Wright Penn, who portrayed the congressman’s wife, Anne Collins. Penn gave a complex performance as the politician’s wife who is not only hurt and betrayed by her husband’s infidelity, but wracked with guilt over her own past indiscretion with McAffrey, along with desire for him.

If you are expecting "STATE OF PLAY" to be the next "ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN" or "SEVEN DAYS IN MAY", you are going to be slightly disappointed. I have seen better quality political films than this movie. But I can honestly say that I still found "STATE OF PLAY" to be an excellent and entertaining movie filled with intelligence, humor and a strong and steady cast.

"STATE OF PLAY" (2009) Photo Gallery

Below are photos from "STATE OF PLAY", the 2009 movie remake of the  2003 British television miniseries. Directed by Kevin MacDonald, the movie starred Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren: 


"STATE OF PLAY" (2009) Photo Gallery