The Accountant 2 (7/10)
by Tony Medley
132 Minutes.
R.
This is probably the only movie series about a
neurodivergent, Christian Woolf (Ben Affleck). A neurodivergent is a
person with brain differences that affect their thinking process, how
they process information and interact with others. It includes ADHD,
autism, dyslexia, etc. Chris is seemingly cold and unemotional but
extremely violent when challenged.
When Ray King (J.K. Simmons), former Deputy
Director of FinCen (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network), now working
as a low rent P.I., is suddenly killed while trying to hire a contract
killer, Anaĩs (Daniella Pineda), he writes on his arm before he dies to
get “The Accountant.”
That’s Christian and while he and King’s successor
at FinCen, Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson),
look for King’s killer they get involved in something far more complex,
so Chris calls his estranged brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal) to assist.
Brax is a contract killer.
In addition to an action thriller, it’s also a
buddy picture as Chris and Brax mend their relationship that has been
torn apart by Chris’s condition and Brax’s profession.
While the script does present unique characters,
like Chris and Brax and Anais (who can also be arguably called
neurodivergent, as a result of a severe beating young in life), it is
poorly structured. There is no singular bad guy, and the editing is
semi-coherent as it jumps from one thing to another without
concentrating on a main theme. It’s comprised of predictable fights and
has a hackneyed ending that has been the same for this type of movie for
decades. Worse, it leaves the fate of one key character ignored.
Directed by Gavin O’Connor from a script by Bill
Dubuque, this is a relatively entertaining film, although a
neurodivergent protagonist like Chris is not an easy person with whom to
identify and for whom to root. Brax, even though a deadly killer, is
more appealing than Chris. Although this could be considered damning
with faint praise, given the appalling quality of today’s movies, it is
one of the more entertaining films I’ve had to sit through so far this
year.
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