Christian Wolff applies his brilliant mind and illegal methods to reconstruct the unsolved puzzle of a Treasury chief’s murder.
Ben Affleck returns as Christian Wolff in “The Accountant 2” along with Jon Bernthal as younger brother Brax in a film that manifests a cross between a murder/kidnap mystery, action flick, and character study. Christian is a forensic accountant carrying enough quirks and ticks to fill an assortment of baskets. His brother Brax is a well-paid and highly successful hitman who resents his socially awkward brother’s neglect of their relationship – Christian hasn’t seen Brax in eight years, not since the resolution of the 2016 film.
Bernthal’s Brax very nearly steals the show as a foil for Affleck’s Christian. Whether having an animated conversation with an obviously terrified Russian prostitute inside an upscale apartment or, alternatively, embarking on his quest for the perfect pet, Bernthal shines. Though Brax has designs on a not-yet-weaned puppy, Christian informs him, after the usual clinical and detached analysis, that he may be a cat person instead. While certainly not a comedy, the dialogue and scenes of emotional bonding amidst the regular chaos infuse welcome moments of breezy humor.
Also returning is Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Marybeth Medina, who has been recently promoted to a deputy director position at the Treasury Department. She seeks answers for the untimely death of her boss, Ray King (J.K. Simmons), the semi-retired director of the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). King inadvertently provides Medina’s motivation to solve the mystery of a missing El Salvadoran family—a story that contains many layers of intrigue.
The film takes place primarily in Texas, Los Angeles, and the notorious mean streets of Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, just across the border from El Paso. The southern settings offer up gritty realism that echoes current news headlines. Timely themes regarding migrant populations put a face on an otherwise antiseptic and politically charged topic, now almost ubiquitous across broadcast airwaves and the internet.
Another key player is Anais (Daniella Pineda), a competing gun-for-hire, similar to Brax but with a backstory that drives the bulk of the plotline. Her connection to a missing family remains unclear until the end of the second act.
Not without his own resources, Christian’s surveillance assets are considerable. His “people” are led by Justine (portrayed by Allison Robertson and voiced by Alison Wright) at a lavish compound staffed with a small group of precocious youngsters possessing the ability to hack virtually any network, public or private, in real time.
Grant Harvey as Cobb plays an assassin fixer for a nasty fellow named Burke (Robert Morgan), who has dealt out more than his fair share of murder and treachery over the years. So much so that he fears he has acquired a target on his back – a situation from which he desperately tries to extricate himself. Though the narrative remains somewhat intricate, the disparate pieces cohere well enough by the closing credits.
The production benefits from its continuity across several fronts beyond the fine cast. At the technical level, Seamus McGarvey returns as the cinematographer. Director Gavin O’Connor and writer Bill Dubuque also reprise their participation, ensuring that “The Accountant 2” maintains and surpasses the pace of the first film. In contrast to the days of the original “Superman” and “Jaws” franchises – cheapened by lackluster follow-ups – movie studios seem to have learned not to shortchange the sequel if they want to keep credibility and draw in audiences. Happily, “The Accountant 2” confidently lives up to both the promotional hype and the promise of its compelling trailer.
In Theaters Friday, April 25th
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