SXSW Review: ‘The Accountant 2’ is Good Brainless Fun with Great Brotherly Chemistry

People go to the movies for an array of different reasons, and having the right expectations going in can be absolutely critical to enjoyment. Those who opted to check out Ben Affleck in The Accountant likely knew what they were getting themselves into thanks to the film’s marketing and its “calculate your choices” tagline. Even without the benefit of having seen the first film, it’s easy to correctly guess that its sequel is a mindless blockbuster that offers great chemistry between its two lead actors and solid action sequences, best enjoyed if audiences shut off their brains for everything else.

Christian Wolff (Affleck) is living in his trailer in Idaho, where he’s reverse-engineered a company’s algorithm to ensure that all the women who attend a speed dating event line up to talk to him, but he quickly dashes any prospects by shifting every time to advice about tax returns. His monotonous life kicks back into high gear when Raymond King (J.K. Simmons) is killed and Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) seeks the help of this well-armed, highly skilled mystery man to solve his murder. As they piece the clues together of what Raymond was investigating, Christian calls in his brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) for help, knowing that they’re going to face a legion of bad guys who won’t be patient and understanding and will only respond to violence.

The opening scene of this film sets the tone for its action, with an emphasis on reckless collateral damage and big schemes that seem far too elaborate to eliminate just one specific target. That’s the case for the entirety of the film, which spins a narrative that makes minimal sense at best, rooted in an overreach and an unnecessary invitation for vengeance from villains who would probably have been fine minding their own business and continuing to operate under the radar. But who wants to see that? Certainly not those who pay for a ticket to watch this movie.

Though Affleck playing an autistic character is a questionable choice in today’s climate, the performance doesn’t seem rooted in disrespect. Christian’s attention to detail is impeccable, and he would rather not do anything illogical when it would be much easier just to say the truth, even if it’s not particularly polite. That puts him at odds with his brother, whose general approach to any situation is to come in guns blazing and mouth running, a tactic that would be far less impressive if he wasn’t so muscular and efficient. They’re a fun duo whose interactions are hands-down the best part of this film. Watching them kick ass together is entertaining, but the way they talk to each other is an absolute blast.

There’s certainly an excess of violence, in addition to discussion of harming children, to be found in this film, but, like the plot, it’s all more easily ignored as setup for adrenaline-fueled action scenes that likely wouldn’t have worked quite as well if they were just haphazardly thrown together (or maybe they would have been more effective with the absence of any plot). While Danielle Pineda conducts herself well in hand-to-hand combat moments as a mysterious assassin, her character draws the short straw in terms of coherent development, and Addai-Robinson makes the most of a frustrating role that doesn’t give her federal agent nearly enough credit or intelligence. Given that this is a popular franchise and that this is considered a “streaming exclusive” for Prime Video following its theatrical release, it’s no surprise that a third film is already in the works. As long as it emphasizes brotherly banter and action above all, there’s no reason to expect it won’t be just as fun.

Movie Rating: 6/10