The Accountant (2016)

Late in The Accountant, J.K. Simmons sits down and explains half the plot in one long speech, like a teacher who ran out of class time. There’s a lot to explain, too: cartel ledgers, a Treasury manhunt, a hired gun, a robotics company with missing money, and flashbacks to Christian as a boy. Some of it clicks. Ben Affleck is strong as a man who lives by routine and rarely moves his face, so the few times he does, it lands. The early scene where he helps an older farm couple with their taxes is quietly the high point. Jon Bernthal brings huge, cheerful energy as a hired gun who chats like he’s at a barbecue, and Anna Kendrick’s nerdy back-and-forth with Affleck is a treat until the movie parks her on the sidelines. It made $155.6 million worldwide on a reported $44M. A 6.5 because every piece is solid and the puzzle has way too many of them. $146 says Solomon Grundy gets stuck in your head the next time you sit down to do your taxes.

What works: Ben Affleck’s controlled lead performance, Jon Bernthal’s cheerful menace, and a sharp little farmhouse tax scene early on.

What doesn’t: Too many subplots pile up, and the final stretch stops for a giant info dump to tie them all together.

Who it’s for: People who like their action heroes quiet and precise, and anyone who has ever found a mistake in a spreadsheet and felt powerful.