‘The Accountant 2' review: Sequel delivers smarter action, sillier fun and Ben Affleck's best role in years

'The Accountant 2' is a rarity. It's a sequel that blows by the respectable original, evolving into something simultaneously smarter and sillier, more grounded and much more fun.
Ben Affleck is back — finally, in his best role in years (along with his 2020 turn in 'The Way Back') — as Christian Wolff, an awkward, high-functioning autistic bean counter for bad guys who is secretly a super-killer. He and his estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal), a slick and successful assassin, reunite when Chris is summoned to help investigate the murder of a former U.S. Treasury agent he used to feed tips to on crimes.
The plot is a bit murky, but it involves a Los Angeles human-trafficking ring, a missing boy and a female assassin (Oakland native Daniella Pineda). Chris' sort-of ally from the first film, law-and-order U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) reluctantly seeks his savant-level assistance to untangle the mess. One sign of the film's intelligence, by the way, is Marybeth's principled objection to the brothers' extrajudicial approach to investigation. (The violence, by the way, is excellent.)
Remarkably, the far-superior sequel is by writer Bill Dubuque and director Gavin O'Connor, the same guys who worked on the 2016 original. That film was enjoyable, but it feels as if every tweak they've made for the new one works — even some that could have gone too far, like when the plot fully stops for an extended brotherly bonding sequence.
The closest current analogy would be the 'Reacher' Prime Video series, which was a grim, unintended parody of machismo its first season and a lightened-up, whacked-out joyride in its second. Here, the filmmakers deftly pick their spots to lean into character comedy, and 'Accountant 2' is all the better for it.
Affleck and Bernthal's portrayals are miles ahead of where they were in the first film. Bernthal seems to benefit from revisiting roles years later, as evident in his convincing return as The Punisher in the current ' Daredevil: Born Again ' series. This time around, Braxton is informed by fraternal warmth and goofiness. The brothers' relationship feels settled into, and it's a pleasure to watch. When Braxton is about to invite some women into their motel room, he admonishes the stiff Chris, 'Just go stand over there. Don't be scary.'
Affleck's Chris is much more detailed and lived in now. Before, physical and vocal inconsistencies could pop out, but the Berkeley-born actor is in the groove here. There's increased precision in Chris' neurodivergent behaviors and vocal mannerisms (perhaps credit is due to the film's neurodiversity consultant, 'Autism: The Musical' star Elaine Hall). Affleck appears more relaxed, so the character is more alive.
That pays off throughout, as when hyper-efficient Chris navigates the perils of speed dating, occasionally remembering to crank his face into a smile or deploying 'smooth' patter such as, 'Eventually, this body will be a corpse.' Then, when we've nearly forgotten this is an action movie, we're brutally reminded what Chris and Braxton do so well.
The action sequences are some of the best so far this year. Hats off to stunt coordinator Fernando 'Fern' Funan Chien and tactical advisor Tyler Grey. And the fights aren't just good for camera; they convey character.
There's also the delightful introduction of a major element this review will leave audiences to discover, but let's just say it would be a certain secretary of Health and Human Services' worst nightmare.
Not for nothing, the film happens to be releasing at the end of Autism Awareness Month.
More of Chris' super-detective skills would have been appreciated, and the opening feels chaotic, but those are quibbles with so many other enjoyable elements packed in. The convoluted plot will leave viewers with some unanswered questions, should they pull at its threads, but it's a good bet they'll likely leave well enough alone after being so entertained.
'Accountant 2' lays solid groundwork for another sequel. Let's just hope it doesn't take another nine years.
Michael Ordoña is a freelance writer.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

4 hours ago

• Yahoo

'Étoile' has been cancelled, but no one blends dance and humour as brilliantly as Marguerite Derricks

One of the most devastating entertainment losses of the year is certainly the cancellation of the show Étoile after just one season, from Gilmore Girls, Bunheads and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, and her husband Dan Palladino. But with that puzzling move from Prime Video, there's no better time to celebrate all the talent in the short lived series. That includes Marguerite Derricks, an incredibly beloved and impressive choreographer who's worked on Palladino's previous projects. Additionally, she's contributed her talents to the series Behind The Candelabra and movies including Showgirls, 13 Going On 30 and the Austin Powers franchise. But in terms of what makes the Palladinos such effective collaborators, Derricks stressed that they way they shoot dance in their shows is done in a way where there's a real "marriage of the camera with movement." "For a choreographer, there's nothing greater than that," Derricks told Yahoo. "On Bunheads I started to play with them that way, and it's carried on through four different TV series." "It's just made me such a better choreographer. ... I wish every choreographer would find collaborators like Amy and Dan, because there's nothing like it." One example of how Étoile really makes the dance in the show an integrated part of the story is the Swan Lake moment with Tiler Peck in Episode. It's a dance moment, but written in a way that's injected with humour. "That was written by Dan Palladino and ... when they sent me the outline for the script I literally was laughing out loud," Derricks shared. "I couldn't wait to attack that and to have Tiler Peck be the one that got run over by the swans, it was just such a gas." "Their comedy genius is always on the page and then I just put it into motion. I've worked with comedians my whole life, so it's something that I really, really enjoy, but it's always there on the page. There's never, a question mark for me with Amy and Dan, they're so clear." Another highlight is a piece choreographed by Gideon Glick's character Tobias Bell in Étoile. A character that's hysterical with his quirkiness, brought out in the character's choreography as well. "That was my big voice in the show," Derricks said. "I love Gideon Glick. He is the coolest, craziest human being. He would come and watch me and he thought I was funny because I kind of stalked the dancers like a lion. And so he wanted to pick up on that." "And I studied him and I like his quirks, and I wanted to make sure that that's what was driving me a lot with the choreography. So I the two of us, we kind of became one, we became Tobias together." While Étoile certainly isn't a show that requires the audience to have a dance background to enjoy, there was still such a commitment on the show to make its dance spaces and dancers feel real. What the dancers are doing before classes, what they're doing in the hallways, every detail was thought of to make these moments look authentic. "That was the first thing [Amy] talked about with every department head, we all knew that was our marching orders," Derricks explained. "I kind of had a little bit of a sense of that from working on Bunheads with her, but now we were going from a young kids school to the professional world, and so ... we did our research to make sure that everything was really up to par." "Tiler Peck was a student of mine. I would call Tiler and ask her questions, and it was very important to us that, when this show came out, that the ballet world would give us a thumbs up on it. ... There's been so many shows out there that have been done in a way where it's not authentic. So for me right now, the feedback I'm getting from the ballet world is the greatest thing that I could have ever hoped for." Much of what happens in the "Hollywoodization" of dance, specifically ballet in film and TV, largely sees talented dancers be nameless and on the periphery of the project. But in Étoile, Sherman-Palladino made wanted to use there dancers to their full potential, and crediting them for their work. "That was the most exciting thing for me," Derricks said. "Every single dancer that came into our show, [Amy] read them for parts. She wanted to cast the dancers. She wanted to hear their voices. I want to scream from the rafters, because that's happening more and more, but it really happened on [this] show. ... Dancers are so great at telling stories without speaking, so just get comfortable with talking as well. I'm very proud of that. ... The dancers were getting lines, they were so excited." A core element of Étoile is that dancer was very much used to tell the story, it's an integral part of the narrative. But it also immerses the audience in a dance world many haven't had any exposure to, portraying ballet dancers in a different light and as more fully formed characters, held up by brilliant and unique choreography from Derricks. "Ballet is sexy, ballet is strong. Ballet dancers are like football players, the athleticism that they have," Derricks stressed. "I want people to see ballet in a whole different way." "There's a lot of wonderful choreographers out there now doing out the about box, beautiful work, but for somebody that doesn't know ballet, I hope that we can reach a greater audience and turn them on to all sides of ballet."

Cosmopolitan

6 hours ago

• Cosmopolitan

We Were Liars: TV Show vs. Book Differences

We Were Liars, the new Prime Video series from showrunners Julie Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie that's a juicy mishmash of YA romance, vacation mystery, and Succession-y family drama, also happens to be based on the very popular novel by E. Lockhart. If you're too curious about what was different in the book or how the show handled *that* ending, here's the 411 on the adaptation. The basic story, characters, and relationships are the same. There will be spoilers ahead, uh, obviously. Starting with the big one because I am no liar! We Were Liars is about a seventeen year-old girl named Cadence Sinclair working through post-traumatic amnesia after a fire she helped set killed her cousin Johnny, her cousin Mirren, and her childhood best friend/boyfriend Gatwick "Gat" Patil. Her amnesia and trauma is represented by the ghosts of those three dead teenagers, who used to call themselves "the Liars" when they spent summers growing up on the Sinclair family's private island called Beachwood. Every time a living person tries to tell her what happens, she has a panic attack and forgets all over again. The fire occurred after a dramatic summer caused the Liars to become disillusioned with their picture perfect, privileged family. On the show and in the book, we see that fateful summer unfold as Cadence remembers the truth. There are some small changes to the narrative in the adaptation. For example: Mirren's younger brother Taft is simply not in the show! His character is basically combined with Johnny's younger brother William. Here are the bigger changes: In the book: Grandma Tipper dies between Summer 14 and Summer 15, and the fire happens at the end of Summer 15. We spent time with Cadence at home in Vermont recovering from her physical injuries and recalling sporadic memories. She spends Summer 16 in Europe with her father. Almost two years later, during Summer 17, Cadence returns to the island seeking the truth and reunites with the Liars' ghosts. In the show: All of the tragic events happened in Summer 16. We never see Cadence's life in Vermont outside of a hair dye montage. Just one year after the accident, Cadence goes back on the island for all of what would have been Summer 17, working with the ghosts of the Liars to figure out what happened. In the book: Johnny gets more and more distressed, Mirren gets more and more sick, and Gat gets more and more angsty about resuming his relationship with Cadence. The house where they're "staying" gets progressively messier with clutter and dirty dishes. In the show: The ghosts are the tiniest bit, well, friendlier and there's no mess for Cadence to clean up. I guess that wouldn't make for compelling TV. In the book: Cadence processes her mental state by telling the reader fairy tales in which she casts her family members and Gat as kings, princesses, princes, fire-breathing dragons and outcast mice. In the show: There are fairy tales in voiceover, and the Sinclair family Father's Day tradition has some on the nose King Lear vibes... but that's it. Instead, since the show is only partially from Cadence's POV, we do learn a little more about her cousins and aunts. They have interests and love lives that the book doesn't get as into. In the book: The ground floor caught fire too fast because Cadence, who was in charge of that section, used too much gas and started on the wrong side of the house to ensure a safe exit for everyone. That trapped Gat in the basement and her cousins (and the dogs) upstairs. In the series: Gat was waiting outside in the boat, and ran into the fire when he didn't see Cadence and her cousins leaving the house as planned. Mirren and Johnny got trapped because they were distracted–Mirren by one of her paintings in her mom's room and Johnny by one last opportunity to smash things–and the smoke rose more quickly than they anticipated. Cadence thinks she threw off the plan by running upstairs to grab her grandmother's black pearl necklace. But since she ran back inside moments after to try and rescue the sleeping dogs they all forgot about (I'll never be over that BTW) what happened is not so much her fault as it is in the book. In the book: Cadence suspects that her mom, Penny, knows the truth about the fire. But the important thing is that Cadence has resolved to be a better, more considerate person and own her responsibility and her place in her "evil" family. In the series: Cadence's grandfather, Harris, definitely knows the truth about the fire. He names her as a successor to her family's complicated legacy and urges her to keep the lie he's told the family and the press: that the fire was an accident and she was a hero who tried to save everyone. But she runs away, neither admitting to what really happened or maintaining the fairy. She's still very against the family. Will this be resolved in a potential Season 2? There's always room for more character growth... right? There are some references in the series to things that book readers would only know if they'd read the prequel Family of Liars, like another horrible summer and what happened to the fourth Sinclair sister Rosemary, so fingers crossed!

UPI

8 hours ago

• UPI

Jon Bernthal to play Punisher again in next 'Spider-Man' adventure

Jon Bernthal is set to reprise his iconic role of the Punisher in the next "Spider-Man" movie. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo June 21 (UPI) -- Jon Bernthal has signed on to play the Punisher again in the next Spider-Man movie. Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter reported the casting news Friday. The film is set to go into production this summer. Bernthal has played the Marvel comic-book vigilante Frank Castle/the Punisher in his own eponymous TV show, as well as the related shows Daredevil and Daredevil: Born Again. In addition to appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day opposite Tom Holland as the titular web-slinger, Bernthal will also play the Punisher in an as-yet-untitled special on Disney+ Both projects are set for release in 2026. Bernthal was also recently seen in The Accountant 2 and The Amateur.