Ben Affleck plays an autistic accountant who’s also the perfect killing machine in action thriller The Accountant, available now on Amazon Prime Video.
He used to be laughed at, but at the latest with his appearance in “Argo” Ben Affleck has been able to fully redeem himself as an actor, after he had previously been recognized as a very capable director. It really feels like the two-time Academy Award winner has gotten better and more nuanced over the past few years, whether in front of the camera or behind it. Gavin O’Connor’s darkly humorous action thriller The Accountant, now available on Amazon Prime Video subscription, is a prime example.
That’s what “The Accountant” is about
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has always had an extraordinary gift for mathematics. As a highly gifted person with outstanding skills, however, he finds it extremely difficult to establish and maintain social contacts. Disguised as a small-town accountant, he secretly does the bookkeeping for some of the most dangerous underworld organizations in the United States.
›› “The Accountant” on Amazon Prime Video*
At some point, however, tax investigator Ray King (JK Simmons) gets on his trail and Christian’s cover is blown. That’s why he accepts a new job to help the accountant of a robotics company, Dana (Anna Kendrick), to clear up billing discrepancies worth millions. But even as he penetrates the confusing web of numbers, more and more people are dying around him…
“The Accountant” lives on a famous Ben Affleck
Of course, The Accountant brings us back to the autism cliché that Rain Man once used. However, Gavin O’Connor’s action thriller works because he can rely on his leading actor. In the official DashFUN review, in which the film received 3.5 out of 5 stars, Carsten Baumgardt writes: “Ben Affleck is an ideal cast for the role of the tight-lipped (anti-)hero with that certain something.”
That’s because Ben Affleck has completely mastered his character’s great polarity: “With him, even this dismissive accountant-killer seems likeable and even if he steplessly from Biedermann to the ‘John Wick’ mode switches up, you take away from him the figure, which, strictly speaking, is not really consistent.Well-choreographed combat routines, atmospheric images and a very pleasant amount of black humor do the rest.
In addition to “The Accountant”, there is another Prime newcomer that we would also like to introduce to you…
Also new on Amazon Prime Video: “The Girl in the Park”
“The girl in the park” strikes a completely different tone, which can now also be streamed in the Prime subscription at no extra charge. Even if we weren’t very enthusiastic about the film in the official DashFUN review and spoke of a “standardized psychological thriller”, David Auburn’s directorial debut could be interesting because of the leading actress and “Alien” star Sigourney Weaver. It shows itself here in an unusual role.
And that’s what it’s about: Julia Sandberg (Sigourney Weaver) has never recovered from the disappearance of her then three-year-old daughter Maggie (Daisy Tahan) 16 years ago. She then gave up her career as a singer, just as her other life fell apart completely. The relationship with her son Chris (Alessandro Nivola) could also be significantly better.
›› “The Girl in the Park” on Amazon Prime Video*
When Julia in New York suddenly meets the adult Louis (Kate Bosworth), who could theoretically be her missing Maggie, she gets involved in a relationship that is as strange as it is questionable with the young woman. Although it is highly unlikely that Louise really is Maggie, treated Julia these with generous courtesy. After all, the two live together almost like mother and daughter, but the burgeoning conflicts grow noticeably…
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