The Accountant 2 knows exactly what adults are looking for in an action thriller flick. This follow-up to the 2016 film keeps the same cheeky comedy and stellar action of the original. The action here isn’t anything as spectacular as Warfare, but it’s fun and punchy with a mystery that keeps the audience guessing throughout.

Ben Affleck is back as Christian Wolff. An accountant who spends his days laundering money for some of the biggest criminal organizations in the world. He gets himself embroiled in a conspiracy after a high-ranking government official is murdered. A young treasury agent enlists his help in solving the murder, and Christian, in turn, employs the help of his brother. A charming and lethal Braxton Wolff played by Jon Berenthal.

Juxtaposing Themes

The first two scenes of this film set the entire tone for the film going forward. The film opens with a high-stakes assassination in a crowded bar. It’s a thrilling action packed sequence that properly introduces the type of action we should expect for the rest of the film. The next scene is Ben Affleck’s autistic character at a speed dating singles mixer. One where he has mathematically rigged the algorithm to serve in his favor, leading to a host of disappointed women lined up by his booth.

It’s this juxtaposition of action and goofy comedy that sets The Accountant 2 apart. One moment we are watching a tense action sequence, followed quickly by Ben Affleck line dancing in khakis and a pair of Hoka sneakers. The Accountant 2 is truly the duality of man.

Brothers

Jon Berenthal is a welcome addition to the team here in The Accountant 2. Braxton had a presence in the first film, but his character was shrouded in mystery. Here, Berenthal has a lot more to do, and the film is better for it. He is still a little silly, everyone in this world is, but his character adds a groundedness that’s missing when only Affleck is around.

Ben Affleck is doing the Lord’s work with the character of Christian Wolff. I’m of the opinion that Affleck is a great actor, and one of his best performances is his turn as an alcoholic high school basketball coach in The Way Back. Another collaboration between him and director O’Connor. But his role in The Accountant series is one of his strangest performances to date. He leans so hard into the autistic nature that it rarely feels genuine, but it also never feels offensive. It’s an exaggerated portrayal of an autistic man that’s both funny and a bit fascinating.

Autism as a Super Power

Christian Wolff’s autism is the main crux of the film, and it plays more like a superpower than a disability. Affleck is able to instantly calculate complex equations in a second; he is a wiz with computers, and he possesses an almost clairvoyant-like ability to crack mysteries. It’s certainly not an accurate representation of autism, but it is entertaining to watch.

I don’t fault the film for this super heroic behavior. Autism or autistic-adjacent men have been a staple narrative in film for decades. And The Accountant isn’t trying to portray the disease in a soapy or melodramatic way. Some, I’m sure, may be offended by the unrealistic and flippant representation in the film, but the film has no malice with its narrative choice. It’s just used as a way to give Affleck superhuman powers without having to delve into supernatural territories.

Mystery

At the center of The Accountant 2’s narrative is a mystery about a rogue assassin and a deadly cartel group. This mystery is fairly compelling, and it adds an extra layer to the narrative that allows the film to feel like both a crime thriller and an action movie.

There aren’t many huge action set pieces, but the ones they’ve done are visually interesting, if not a bit redundant. In a post John-Wick world, it’s hard not to scrutinize the gunplay and military tactics of every character on screen. Affleck and Berenthal move with precision, but nothing close to advanced choreography on display in the Wick series. The two never feel outmatched, even when they are breaching entire platoons worth of baddies.

Final Accounting

It’s here, though, that The Accountant 2 feels like A Minecraft Movie for adults. It’s playing with the same ideas and tropes that have made Minecraft such a phenomenon for kids. With Minecraft, we have a franchise IP starring two huge names playing around and making jokes that are aimed solely at one audience. The Accountant 2 does the same, giving us a sequel no one really asked for, but starring two huge stars and hitting every action, comedy, thriller beat adult audiences want in a film.

And truthfully, I’m here for it. This isn’t an amazing movie, not by any stretch of the imagination. But it’s a pretty good time with Ben Affleck and Jon Berenthal, where we get Affleck with a goofy voice and the pair mowing down scores of bad guys in sweeping tracking shots. It’s cool, it’s funny, and it’s not a Marvel movie. Just an action comedy aimed at adults. Something theaters are sorely missing.