The once and future Batman, Ben Affleck, has come a long way since his Gigli days. Not only has he portrayed one of the most iconic superheroes in history, but he’s established himself as a solid director with films like The Town and Argo. He also gave one of the best performances of his career in David Fincher’s Gone Girl. The guy is riding high and deservedly so. Then, practically out of nowhere, we get this trailer for The Accountant:
WOW. This is unquestionably the best trailer I’ve seen all year. Removed from the story it’s selling, this is expertly edited, crafts a well-defined tone, ratchets up your anxiety, and leaves you exactly where a trailer should: wanting more. The people over at Warner Bros marketing should be patting themselves on the back over this one. Hold on, I’m gonna watch it again.
Stories about exceptional people who are cursed by their gift can sometimes come off as superheroic, but that does not look to be the case with The Accountant. The character of Christian Wolff —which does sound like the alter ego of some costumed crusader — seems tragically detached from humanity, and Affleck sells him without speaking a single line in this trailer. I love how Wolff looks to be a more mundane and amoral version of someone like Jason Bourne or Bryan Mills. This has the potential to be one of the defining roles of Affleck’s career.
Seeing as how this movie wasn’t even close to on my radar, this trailer has put it towards the top of my most anticipated list for the year. Between this, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad, it’s looking like 2016 is going to be a banner year for Affleck. The Accountant cooks some books and cracks some skulls on October 14.
