Review: ‘The Accountant 2’ takes it up a notch

Sometimes, even when the difference between right and wrong is black and white, the solution may be grey. When someone commits a criminal act, particularly one that harms others, the authorities are supposed to deliver justice to the victims and their families. But, in the movies, when the cops can’t or won’t solve a case, a vigilante may step in to provide support and dole out punishment that is generally in kind with the original transgressions — eye for eye, life for a life — making them the story’s heroic protagonist. Moral and ethical judgements are either aligned or suspended as long as the streets become a little safer. In The Accountant 2, the line between justice and revenge is blurred.

It’s been eight years since Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) was almost killed for uncovering a corporate fraud. His shady forensic accounting business is still flourishing, but when Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) informs him of a former contact’s murder, he drops everything to help solve the puzzle left behind. When the investigation points to a larger criminal operation, Chris calls his estranged brother, Braxton (Jon Bernthal), for reinforcements. Unsurprisingly, Medina’s requests to do things by the book are ignored, so they part ways and continue looking into the evidence separately, leaving Chris and Braxton to wrap things up their way.

The first film was Chris’ origin story, showing how he became the awkward yet competent and lethal man he is today. Now, after years of solitude, he wants to connect with people, but traditional means of meeting women don’t quite work for him. He struggles to even be close to his own brother, though Braxton is brazen enough for both of them. Partnering with Medina is a big step for Chris and an amusing exercise for audiences to witness as their investigative approaches couldn’t be more different.

There’s a lot of unexpected humour in a movie about an accountant-vigilante with high-functioning autism trying to track down a murderer. In fact, the brothers’ straight man and wild guy banter adds a buddy movie vibe to the action thriller. Affleck and Bernthal have surprisingly striking screen chemistry. They play off of each other like true siblings who know how to push each other’s buttons, but also always have each other’s back. Braxton is making up for all the years he missed tormenting his big brother, which makes him the main comedy source, though Chris’ deadpan attempts at a sense of humour are also funny.

The action scenes grow increasingly more intense as the narrative progresses, leading to the big finale that puts Chris’ secret gun room in his caravan to full use. There isn’t a lot of hand-to-hand combat, though what is choreographed is fast-paced and impressive. The rest is primarily long-range gunfire, which allows a lot of actors to display their best “shot in the head” reaction.

This is one of those sequels that may actually surpass an already solid original simply because Braxton’s increased presence adds another layer of entertainment to the narrative.

Director: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal and Cynthia Addai-Robinson