What’s more fun than a vigilante accountant? Adding his slightly unbalanced and equally dangerous vigilante brother. And there you have ‘The Accountant 2’.
It’s been 9 years since Ben Affleck first appeared as Christian Wolff, the super-efficient hitman working for the highest bidders, crunching numbers when he’s not picking off terrorist thugs and, he’s still solitary, still anti-social and, if, by chance, you’re new to this tale, he’s autistic. In this sequel, he’s reunited with his brother, Braxton (Jon Bernthal), a character who briefly appeared in the original, but has a more vital presence here, in both presence and context. A story that’s as much about reconciling the bond between two brothers as it is a buddy-buddy action thriller, ‘The Accountant 2’ succeeds at every level…it’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s peppy, it navigates the dark & serious matter with suitable maturity, and most of it, it hits the most important mark that a sequel can – it’s as good as the film that preceded it.
Teaming up with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to solve the mystery behind a missing family, the trio uncovers a horrific human trafficking ring. Along the way in saving the day, we get to witness Braxton’s slight transformation from coldhearted killing machine to something more moderately human. At the same time, his brother eases up a wee bit, exhibiting not only faint hints of brotherly affection, but willing to take a chance at, oh say, participating in a cowboy line dance at a country bar.
….sure the culmination of that last mentioned scene involves the brothers throwing a honky tonk bully through a plate glass window, but that’s part of the reckless charm of ‘The Accountant 2’.
I’m still not overly sold on Affleck’s portrayal of a neurodivergent individual; his Wolff sometimes seems more caricature than earnest, though it never veers into the territory of insensitive. For an acting gig, it’s a tough one, and kudo’s to Mr. Affleck for taking it on. The good news, with Bernthal firmly by his side for much of the sequel, they lean on winning chemistry to make the whole thing come together beautifully. Oh, and they kill lots and lots of bad guys.
