An autistic but brilliant young boy grows up to be a skilled accountant – whose clients work for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations.

Out of the two films Ben Affleck has starred in this year, I’d only look forward to a sequel to one of them, and that’s this one. The Accountant is one of not very many movies to come out this year that keeps you on the edge of your seat without constantly featuring loud gunshots, screeching cars, and a large body count, although there’s a mix of all of that in the film’s touch of action sequences. Affleck is spot-on as a protagonist who’s personality is quite complicated due to his condition – friendly to some but dangerous to others. His character’s complexity is what makes him so fascinating and sympathetic. Affleck is incredibly committed and mentally balanced in the way he portrays his character, leading to his character to feel very real and deep in the way he was developed. I can definitely say his role in this film is up there among his other excellent work this decade in The Town, Argo, and Gone Girl. Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, and Jon Bernthal lead a decent yet interesting ensemble of supporting characters and all play their parts remarkably well. There’s a lot to their characters that you don’t know by only watching the trailers, which is something that helps keep the thrills going throughout. There’s a compelling aspect of the film in the way it examines its characters, revealing things to you one by one, and even though it one point it gets about too complicated and you wish it just wasn’t, there’s a gripping aspect to every big character in the film, even themes that are similar to those in director Gavin O’Connor’s previous films. Speaking of O’Connor, he directs the film very well, notably the film’s action sequences, with excellent sound editing and choreography, making it feel less like a Hollywood-style action scene and more like a scene featuring action that advances the plot. Even though there aren’t many throughout the movie, I like that it was constructed as if it were an action movie, although it’s hard to put it under the action genre, I’d rather say it’s a drama thriller with some mystery thrown in there, too.

The Accountant plays out as if it’s an episode of Daredevil, crossed with the Jason Bourne franchise and with a little bit of Rain Man in there as well. It’s somewhat a vigilante thriller but at the same time, it’s a deep character drama that features an autistic protagonist. I really liked the mix of the two genres. Although this movie is far from perfect, I can’t say critics have been praising it enough with its underwhelming reviews. I feel like most critics were let down by their expectations rather by their films, as the trailer advertised the film as one thing and instead it was something much bigger. The Accountant turned out to be very different than I expected, and I was alright with that. It gets over-complicated at one point and some of the plot points and the tone aren’t balanced like they should be. However, I was still very entertained by The Accountant, and I appreciate the cast and directing. You may be let down if you’re looking for just an action movie or just a drama, as this movie is a mix of many great things, but I’d recommend this film for movie-goers looking for a great movie to keep them on the edge of their seat.

Free State of Jones tells the true story of Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), a disillusioned Confederate army deserter returns to Mississippi and leads a militia of fellow deserters, runaway slaves, and women in an uprising against the corrupt local Confederate government.

Free State of Jones is definitely not as bad as critics say it is. It tells a very eye-opening tale about the Civil War that’s quite an important lesson and I’m glad it was told through a film. The story of Newton Knight leading an army of fugitives, most of which were runaway black slaves, against the Confederate government, is a very interesting story and I’m glad I learned about this through this film. There are some gerat scenes that are put to film here and it’s all done very powerfully and realistically. The movie’s trailer made it look like the film would be driven by lengthy action sequences and shootouts, but there are really only a few, as the majority of the scenes use only dialogue to carry the plot. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I’m just warning you that the trailer does not transmit the movie’s tone well, so don’t buy a ticket thinking that it’s Saving Private Ryan in the Civil War, as it’s much more of a Schindler’s List type of film, and I was actually glad that was the case. Matthew McConaughey is amusing in the film’s lead role, delivering lots of great dialogue, emotional scenes, and although he doesn’t completely blend into the role, I could tell that he gave the part his best.

Although the movie’s performances and historical messages are quite effective, other aspects of this film aren’t. The runtime drags on and on at many points, and there are parts at the end of the movie where it runs out of things to talk about, and just stretches its length aimlessly. Like I said before, the movie puts some great scenery to film, but unfortunately the cinematography does not capture it all very well. The camera is too shaky and not often pointed in the right angles in order to enhance the story. Cinematography is very important to me when it comes to watching films, and this film’s camerawork felt very lousy and unfocused. The editing within scenes was occasionally disruptive, as the cuts within scenes were way too fast and sometimes unnecessary. There isn’t enough consistent substance besides the film’s historical merit that makes it worth a trip to the theaters. If you want to see this movie for an interesting history lecture, then you may want it check it out (not necessarily on the big screen), but otherwise it’s not worth the trip to the theaters unless you want to see another great leading performance from Matthew McConaughey. If you do want to watch this, I’d recommend it for teens 14-15 and up, as it may be too tough for younger viewers to take in and/or watch.