The Accountant 2: jumble of a plot in action movie revival
Ben Affleck plays an autistic maths genius who uses his neurodiverse superpower for those who need money washed and dried
Friday, 25th April — By Dan Carrier
Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2 [Amazon MGM Studios]
THE ACCOUNTANT 2
Directed by Gavin O’Connor
Certificate: 12a
☆☆☆
CRASH, bang, wallop: this action / comedy is neither subtle in its gun-blazing set pieces – reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando – nor when it comes to its comedy.
It comes from the same school as those 1980s action films that broke the fourth wall with their nods to the audience as to the hero’s extraordinary indestructibility. Subtle is not what director Gavin O’Connor sets out to be in this sequel to the 2016 offering that starred Ben Affleck and Anna Kendricks.
Wolff (Affleck) is an autistic maths genius who uses his neuro-diverse superpower to those who need money washed and dried.
When an old friend is murdered, Wolff teams up with his semi-estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) to crack the case.
In the first film, a female lead was provided by Kendricks in a performance that played to all her strengths: this time, Wolff and his brother form a partnership with government agent Marybeth (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), who in the first film wanted him banged up.
The storyline then wriggles through finding the murderer, which in turn opens up a plot about a child trafficking conspiracy, and then a side story about an assassin Anaïs (Daniella Pineda), who has lost her memory.
It’s all a big old jumble of plot lines, jollied along by the chemistry of the two brothers. They are very much enjoying themselves as they ponder on the meaning of siblinghood, all the while wading through the baddies’ blood.
It feels fitting with a Maga White House that action movies – like the ones that littered cinema programmes in the 1980s – are back in vogue. There is definitely something of Chuck Norris about this offering, but it is neither solely a kick-butt shoot-‘em-up, it definitely isn’t a thriller and aims, not wholly successfully, to be a comedy.
When Wolff heads to a speed dating event and creates an algorithm of such places to try and find himself a partner, the joke is well set up.
Bernthal shows an admirable ability to be Affleck’s foil. He serves up the giggles and is often the butt of them too. His moments are highlights in a film that stretches just over two hours and could otherwise be something of a slog.
