By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Do you like puzzles? How about seeing
Ben Affleck get his line dance on in a dusty country western bar?
Then, chances are you'll enjoy
"The Accountant 2" from director
Gavin O'Connor ("The Way Back") and screenwriter
Bill Dubuque ("The Six Billion Dollar Man").
The Amazon/MGM/Warner Bros. sequel--produced by Affleck alongside his longtime friend and co-executive producer
Matt Damon--is the follow-up to the surprise 2016 hit, "The Accountant."
Even if you missed Affleck's first round of number-crunching and neck-snapping, it's OK since the "The Accountant 2" is straightforward enough to jump right in and it won't keep you guessing.
Affleck's Christian Wolff, the autistic math savant/accountant by day and cold-blooded assassin by night feels more refined and more dangerous this time around. He brings a cooler edge and sharper timing to the role. Christian's deadpan humor hits harder and his quiet intensity is more gripping than ever. This is fueled by a compelling storyline that revolves around his estranged brother, Braxton (a terrific Jon Bernthal, "The Amateur"), as the two work through their fractured relationship and untangle past misunderstandings.
It turns out they need each other. While Christian launders money for some of the world's most dangerous criminals, he's a solitary figure, more comfortable locked away in his RV than engaging with others. As for Braxton? He's a loose cannon and a crazed killer.
But when Christian learns that his close friend, Raymond King (J.K. Simmons, "Red One" and TV's "Invincible"), the Director of the Treasury Department (FinCEN), is murdered and Deputy Treasury agent Marybeth Medina ( a very good Cynthia Addai-Robinson, TV's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power") sees that "find the accountant" is written on his arm during an autopsy, Christian, Braxton, and Agent Medina are forced to team up, despite their differences.
This murder has become quite the puzzle. It's further complicated when Agent Medina uncovers that a mysterious female assassin named Anais (Daniella Pineda, "Bang Bang") may also be involved.
Now, Christian and Braxton must race against time to try and unravel a conspiracy that runs deep, exposing a chilling human trafficking operation led by a sleazebag named Burke (Robert Morgan, "The Boys in the Boat").
While there is plenty of fierce action in "The Accountant 2," it's the fraught relationship between Christian and Braxton that gives the movie its emotional weight and makes it a solid and entertaining sequel.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the
Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Take a Peek At This Trailer For
"THE ACCOUNTANT 2"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
