The Accountant 2: Now with even more OCD
As with most sequels, Mr & Mrs Average Dude like to watch the original right before seeing the second. So, on Friday night, we viewed The Accountant to get up to speed on the characters. And boy, am I glad we did. Accountant the first was a gem of a movie that I had forgotten a lot about. Getting the refresher course before seeing The Accountant 2 absolutely enhanced the experience. So saying, you’ve now been advised. You’re welcome.
The Accountant 2 is the continuing story of Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), an OCD savante who is supernatural with numbers and details. Chris lives by a moral code that is gray at best. He sometimes uses his ablities in service of very bad people but will turn and burn on them (in more ways than one) if they break that code. That’s kind of an opaque reasoning for the things he does, but the nature of the character makes it believable.
Didn’t I mention he’s everywhere these days?
Back again is Chris’s younger brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) who is himself a very skilled and successful mercenary. When Chris embarks on a new mission that will require his exceptional talents, he contacts Brax to back him up. Braxton is angry at the 8 years of silence from his older brother. It’s a love-hate relationship that started in the first movie and is expanded on in the second, and it’s portrayed magnificently by both actors. In fact, I would say the personal dynamic between Chris and Brax was the greatest part of this movie. The very heart of it.
It may be stating of the obvious, but the Jon Bernthal star is on a rocket to Mars rise these days. We’ve dug on him since we first saw him in The Walking Dead. He is to Punisher what RDJ is to Tony Stark. A great talent in a perfect fit. Jon Bernthal delivers once again in The Accountant 2. I am absolutely her for it.
Where other sequels miss the mark, Accountant 2 hits it
Not that it is always necessary, as it wasn’t with Die Hard 2, The Accountant 2 brings back existing characters and actually evolves them. Lots of sequels just do another helping of the first and no more (Fast and Furious, anyone?). And lots of times, that’s okay. But Accountant 2 goes the extra mile, and it totally pays off. Where the story and action are fairly cliche, it’s the interpersonal relationships that are expanded upon that make this movie SO ENJOYABLE.
No Spoilers, as always
And it’s not just Jonnny B who’s back. Also returning are Ray King (JK Simmons) and Agent Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson). Even Chris’s internet chat support person returns and grows. They all play their part and it all works really well. I’ll say no more. You’ll just have to watch and see.
Another good example
And once again, I highly advise watching the original the night before seeing the second. It really enhances the journey in ways that watching Die Hard the series doesn’t, but Bad Boys does. Character evolution. That’s the mark of a quality extended story. With that in mind, The Average Dude gives The Accountant 2 a rousing 4.3/5. All the action you expect and some genuinely funny and heart-warming moments. Easily my favorite move so far this year. Enjoy it in sequence and thank me later.
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