The Accountant 2

Now understand. I absolutely love the original Accountant. This second one has horrible writers!!! The story drags alot in the film. The combat and most of the fight scenes are absolutely horrible. The comedy is ok. But, damn... did none of the original writers come back to make this film. I am so disappointed. It was like a lot of amateurs were brought in to make this film. I was so anticipating the release of this movie only to be massively let down. I know Hollywood is gone to garbage, but come on people. Don't low ball a sequel to an awesome film. I do not recommend this film at all. Blah.

Ben Affleck's portrayal of Christian Wolff in The Accountant 2 feels noticeably different this time around. His character's autism traits seem more exaggerated, which comes off as a disservice to the subtle brilliance of the original performance. The addition of more overt comic relief also feels jarring and out of place-it shifts the tone from the gritty, tightly wound thriller of the first film into something less focused. That said, there are a handful of scenes that are exceptionally well shot, with crisp choreography and dark, gritty visuals. Ultimately, the film struggles to balance its identity, wavering between serious character study and action-comedy hybrid. It's watchable, but not nearly as satisfying as the first.

The Accountant 2 opens with tired beats and immediately falls into formula. The writing is weak, loaded with bad cop movie tropes, flat exposition, and attempts at humor that land with a thud. Cynthia Addai-Robinson's performance is especially wooden-zero chemistry, no urgency, and completely lifeless delivery. The score sounds like stock suspense cues pulled from a bargain bin, draining scenes of any weight. Ben Affleck's portrayal of Christian feels like a caricature of a character, not a person. Jon Bernthal is the lone bright spot, managing to bring grit and humanity despite the clunky lines. Slick on the surface, hollow underneath. 4/10.

I really like The Accountant. It dared to change the action movie lead role with an autistic character, providing a very interesting role. How would the combination of strengths and weaknesses that The Accountant's condition play out in the dangerous world of international criminals and hitmen?

It was this combination of obsessive/compulsive need for order and completion, combined with an inability to empathise or understand social interactions, that made Affleck's character, Christian Wolff, so interesting.

In the sequel, the writing is not as focused on Affleck in the same way. Instead the focus is on the relationship between him and his brother (Bernthal). While well acted, this simply does not have the same appeal. The movie shines when Wolff's neurodivergence is front and centre, but otherwise it feels like any other generic action-thriller (albeit a well-done one).

It's been years since I watched "THE ACCOUNTANT" and I didn't watch it before going to see this one. I liked this movie and enjoyed it, but I felt like it was missing something. What that is, I don't know, I can't put my finger on it. Maybe I missed something. And whatever that something might have been, I think the movie could have been better.

I liked the dance scene, not so much the troupe that followed. The movie had a hero's heart and some great action. A solid matinee movie.

When the day comes when it goes to streaming, I'll be sure to watch the both movies back to back. Hopefully, I'll discover that missing ingredient.