Film Review: The Accountant

Two brothers. A brilliant mind. Illegal methods and a murder…can you solve the Puzzle?

The Accountant 2 is an action-packed thriller that follows its predecessor with a solid mix of entertaining fight scenes, mystery and surprisingly light humour. If you haven't seen the first film, you might find yourself confused by Ben Affleck playing Christian Wolff. Typically known for his roles in dramas, as a charming heartthrob, and even as a superhero, Affleck’s portrayal of Wolff is slightly different in this feature.

Christian Wolff is autistic and has incredible math abilities that he uses to balance books for criminals, referring to himself as “The Accountant”, of course, the title of the film. As an adult, he still struggles to pick up social cues; he gets deeply absorbed in tasks, especially mathematical ones, and this is made evident even in this sequel. From one of the opening scenes, Wolff is looking for a romantic partner and creates an algorithm for a speed dating event, explaining to the organisers that everything follows a pattern, showcasing his skillset for solving everything and anything in his unique way. Still, unfortunately, it doesn’t help him find love.

With his talent for solving complex problems, Wolff is contacted by Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to solve the murder of her former boss, Treasury Chief Ray King (J.K. Simmons). As they are basically on opposing sides of the law, where Medina likes to do things by the book…and Wolff does not, it’s a true recipe for disaster. This mismatched combo only gets worse by adding Wolff’s brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) to the mix.

Introduced for a short time in the first film, it’s nice to see Braxton once again, but for the full length of two hours. The brothers were previously estranged and with their reunion under not-so-great circumstances, makes for an interesting watch. Bernthal leans into his character Braxton, providing fresh energy, a little chaos, but is always there to “rescue” his brother. While Affleck as Wolff is calculated, geeky, and more than able to take care of himself. I enjoyed the dysfunctional brotherly bond portrayed in the film, packing in intense confrontations similar to actual sibling squabbles, twinned with moments of genuine bonding. For an action thriller, there’s a strange amount of unassuming comedy resonating from both characters, especially with an absurd scene of line dancing, yes, I repeat, line dancing.

Another character that makes a return is Justine, who has nonverbal autism and communicates with others through her computer. She handles all of Christian’s tech needs while still living at the New Hampshire compound where their paths first crossed. Currently, Justine collaborates with a group of autistic children to find creative ways to hack into various technologies for Christian's benefit. Their methods are highly impressive but also illegal, which is something that Treasury Agent Medina can't simply ignore.

However, as the film progresses, it takes a convoluted route where the audience is left forgetting that our protagonists are meant to be solving a murder. Maybe it’s the many twists and turns it chooses to take, introducing heavy topics like systemic exploitation, human trafficking and corruption, but this forces the plot to become a little muddied. At times, the film feels as if it’s treating the audience like children by creating foreshadowing in the dialogue, making for a lot of predictability.

The Accountant 2 manages to still hold true to its genres of action and thriller, with brutal fight scenes, ruthless assassins, a clever twist I actually didn’t see coming and a well-oiled cast of actors including Daniella Pineda, Grant Harvey and Andrew Howard, all adding their purpose to this feature. 

Director Gavin O'Connor took the recipe from the first film and ran with it – providing a fun blend of action, a twist and turn narrative, some heart-to-heart moments and even a little comedy…but it falls short by packing in just a bit too much.