Taking a break from his night-escapades of saving Gotham city from the clutches of evil, Ben Affleck plays the best hero he can – a mortal. Blessed with unspeakable skills and techniques that might give Bruce Wayne a run for his money in terms of money laundering, and sharpshooting capabilities, Christian Wolff (Affleck), is one of the best tax experts on the planet. He also is a deadly, lethal machine, born with a severe case of autism that could prevent him from ‘living a normal life.’ Is it coincidental that Wolff has a backstory so internal that it reflects Wayne’s so closely? Perhaps, but director Gavin O’Conner knows this is all over-the-top that it plays the line so closely. Like how Wolff’s military accoladed father believes the best treatment for his son’s diagnosis is to have him train with a Muay-Thai assassin – ridiculous sure, although it somehow makes sense for the plot.

Affleck is good as Wolff but speaks in due-diligence, and in a slow somber that, at times, It almost becomes a chore keeping up with what he is saying. Much like his compatriot, Matt Damon does with Jason Bourne, Affleck lets the action do the talking. Officially, Wolff runs a small CPA firm in a local establishment where he helps struggling patrons get the best return he can. Although, that’s not where the bulk of Wolff’s income resides from, he also has a side job as a forensic auditor for international arm-dealers.

Unfortunately his tendencies also catch the attention of Treasury Department agent (JK Simmons), and to help cool the heat a bit, Wolff takes on the task of finding millions of dollars that went missing for a robotics entrepreneur (John Lithgow) and develops chemistry with an assistant (Anna Kendrick) who discovered the missing funds to start with. Of course, this type of digging doesn’t come without some baggage. In fact, it catches the attention of a charismatic hitman (Jon Bernthal – great) and his cronies to silence the outreach.

Most of this, as played, is hard to follow, despite being so silly in the execution. Affleck mozy’s from action set piece to the next with a presence that reminds us why he can be an action star. Alas, the movie still trucks along with solid 15 minute intervals that decide to focus on exposition, that is both intriguing and mindless. It’s clear that O’Conner knows how to maneuver, right up the final twist which, I do say, is good. Yet, this sleek action thriller ends up delivering exactly what it promised in the realm of standard shoot-em-up expectations. Despite the fact, the filmmakers suggested they might have provided something different. C+