Countercurrently streaming on Netflix, is Ben Affleck’s biggest non-superhero movie since Girl is gone, and is styled like an airport, but not based on a book. It’s a pulpy action drama that seems designed for the ideal relaxation of a parenting movie.
COUNTER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The essence: Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is an autistic man, raised by a strict military father, who works as a certified public accountant, or at least, that’s his facade. Christian’s true specialty is “picking” the financial books of various shady companies, solving financial problems for organizations that require discretion. On top of that, he is a well-trained assassin, ready to leave things behind in thirty seconds if he feels the heat around the corner. That particular set of skills is put to the test when Wolff is about to discover a financial discrepancy for a seemingly harmless robotics company; His job is restricted and soon he and company accountant Dana (Anna Kendrick), who discovered the initial mistake, become the targets of ruthless killers. Although he is mostly a social loner, Christian feels the urge to protect Dana and stop the bad guys once and for all. Meanwhile, Marybeh Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), a Treasury Department agent, tries to locate him, urged by her boss Ray King (JK Simmons).
What movies will it remind you of?: Affleck’s Christian, socially isolated and murderous when provoked, is vaguely reminiscent of pulp airport novel heroes like Jack Reacher (particularly the more human version of Tom Cruise), while the white-collar crime plot recalls John Grisham adaptations. as The signature, albeit with more ridiculous backstories and a higher body count. It’s also no different than the Jason Bourne series starring Affleck’s friend Matt Damon (although, let’s be real: Matt Damon would never do it).
Performance worth seeing: In a stellar cast that includes reliable types like Simmons, Jon Bernthal and John Lithgow, it’s notable that Anna Kendrick, operating in a much lower register than many of her male co-stars, is able to deliver a performance that is both deeply likable. (as he always is) and surprisingly believable (given the outlandish circumstances). In many films, the damsel in distress who catches feelings (however fleeting) for her burly protector would make people roll their eyes; here, it’s an unlikely highlight that she keeps the film grounded.
Memorable dialogue: Christian and Dana have a fun exchange about art, including the “incongruity” of the famous Dogs Playing Poker painting.
Sex and skin: No time for that! Christian has anonymous minions to dispatch!
Our opinion: If ever a movie seemed like evidence that they don’t make them like they used to, it’s Counter, which harkens back to both ’90s-era corporate embezzlement thrillers and one-man action movies. That does not mean that the film is seriously made; in fact, director Gavin O’Connor gives it a grounding clarity, cleverness, and production value that makes it feel very much like a big-studio thriller of yesteryear. (One of the reasons it’s been so popular on multiple streaming services is probably because it doesn’t feel like a streaming movie; it feels like something you used to see in theaters.) No, the difference is more literal than that: Counter It’s not made with the same smugness of an intelligent, mid-level audience patient enough for a legal thriller, or the lowest-common-denominator directness of a mediocre shootout. It’s a strange hybrid of different types of dad movies, overloading its narrative until it requires repeated pauses for characters to deliver backstory-heavy monologues.
With so much going on in Counter, it might have been wise to abandon the film’s most dubious angle: its depiction of an autistic man as some kind of remote superhero/Terminator figure, a conception that is both condescending to real people on the autism spectrum and unflattering. for Affleck’s strengths as a movie star. . It’s hard to say he’s bad as Christian Wolff, as the entire character is a bit misguided, saddled with a backstory that the film itself seems uncertain about. Is it supposed to be… a good thing that Christian’s father insisted that he immerse himself in the stimuli that bothered him so much when he was a child? As we watch in awe as Christian kills the bad guys, it’s hard not to take it in.
However, despite (or possibly even because of) his wild ideas coming from all sides, Counter is highly entertaining, thanks in large part to the work of its packed cast of characters: Anna Kendrick, the nerdy, frazzled, non-killing accountant; a mysterious man played by Jon Bernthal; JK Simmons gamely delivers an absolute torrent of late film exposition. Even Affleck, stuck in a nearly impossible role, still holds the screen like a champ. Counter is a ridiculous movie with at least one extra subplot and genuine darkness about why, after all this, Christian Wolff wants to launder money for a living. But it’s certainly not a boring night at the movies.
Our call: Counter is a bit much, and even in that area it faces competition from films like The Three Bullets. John Wick sequels, which make A Bit Much with much more style and even some genuine soul. At the same time, its fusion of genres is strange and compelling enough that you can STREAM IT.
Jesse Hassenger@rockmarooned) is a writer who lives in Brooklyn. He is a regular contributor to The AV Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts on www.sportsalcohol.comalso.
Stream The Accountant on Netflix
