You know what is better than an action-crime drama thriller? An action-crime drama thriller starring the current Batman in the title role, who also happens to be a fellow Cantabrigian and alumnus of your high school. Okay, I’m done fan-boying. Critic mode is now on.

“The Accountant” is directed by Gavin O’Connor, who has previously given us films such as “Miracle,” “Jane Got a Gun,” and “Warrior.” Interestingly, O’Connor and screenwriter Bill Dubuque presented us with a feature with a main protagonist who struggles with a mental disability (e.g. high-functioning autism). From his idiosyncratic manners and therapeutic “nightly” stress relieves to his withdrawn disposition persona, he is a very intriguing character, one that is effectively likeable and sympathetic.

This is thanks to Ben Affleck’s acting. It also helps that O’Connor utilizes flashback sequences sprinkled throughout the movie to shed light on Christian’s childhood upbringing. They help the audience see Christian dealing with issues with his parents and the violent methods his father uses to harden Christian against a world that will have little to no compassion for his disability. Presentation-wise, “The Accountant” is filmed and crafted in a favorable light, with slick camera movements and angles, and choreographed action scenes that are similar to a car wreckage—brutal to look at, yet hard to look away.

Unfortunately though, “The Accountant” does not reach its intended goals, despite its promising marketing campaign. I think the biggest reason for this comes in the form of the narrative itself, which has multiple “offshoot” problems. With action, drama, and comedy all being blended into the film’s story, O’Connor was unable to find the balance between the genres. Thus, each one feels adequate at best. Even the classic elements found in “The Accountant” (i.e. a broken family, the so-called “outsider” finding his place in the world, the crass and deadly hitman, etc.) all seemed too generic. None of them come off as powerful as they could have been presented.

Also, the film’s plot is a little convoluted and confusing. At one point, I didn’t know what was going on in the film. It took me a bit to “connect the dots” and usually I never encounter that issue when watching movies. Another problem is the film’s subplot, which involves the U.S. Treasury and involving the character King (J.K. Simmons) and Medina (Addai-Robinson) in their hunt for Christian…The Accountant. Ultimately, this side story is painfully unnecessary, as it only exists to fill in the narrative’s several gaps, and does not really go anywhere. In truth, there is only one scene in this subplot, roughly around the end of the second act. The scene is heavy with exposition, which attempts to bring certain events to light but only comes across as tedious and boring, giving the film a great lull in the duration. Literally, it’s like seven to 10 minutes of a character explaining things.

The movie’s twists and turns are fairly easy to catch. Tacking on to that, the ending was also just very unimpressive. Though the movie tied up its loose ends, it still felt unsatisfying in a “Return of the Jedi” kind of way.