FILM REVIEW
THE ACCOUNTANT 2
Rated R
124 Minutes
Released April 25th
I’m impressed with The Accountant 2. It’s intelligently written, tightly paced, and the story is sculpted so that you come to care about each complex and intriguing character, whose dialogue and actions are true to their personality. Ben Affleck reprises his role of “Chris” from the original The Accountant (2016), as do Jon Bernthal as his brother “Braxton,” Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Treasury Agent “Marybeth Medina,” and J. K. Simmons as “Ray King.”
The movie is superbly shot and edited, and that sets a rhythm and tone immediately that never fades. The music by Bryce Dessner infuses the emotional arc of the characters without interfering, and the cinematic qualities and rich colors of set designer Jade Healy’s backdrops speak volumes of emotion. The action scenes and fight choreography are realized in detail, rather than with chaotic visuals, so that you feel like you are right there in the fray.
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey was born in Northern Ireland and began his career in 1988 with shorts and documentaries. He has shot several award-winning movies, including Atonement (2007) and Anna Karenina (2012). Writer Bill Dubuque worked as a corporate headhunter for 12 years before he started writing scripts. That’s good background for a writer, as recruiters must learn their candidates’ personalities, skills, quirks, and thought processes to fit them successfully into a specific corporate culture.
Director Gavin O’Connor, along with veteran casting directors Nicole Abellera and Jeanne McCarthy, has pulled together an excellent cast. O’Connor shot The Accountant (2016) and continues the story with this film. No one in this cast is peripheral. Each character will command your attention, with highly unusual, unique qualities and patterns of communication. Affleck’s thoughtful portrayal of the neurodivergent and brilliant Chris makes this movie sing. Bernthal’s Braxton is the treble, edgy counterpoint to Affleck’s slow, melodic bass and together they carry the movement of the story through contemplative and highly charged scenes. Notably, Chris recruits a group of neurodivergent teens who use their highly developed mental abilities in research and deduction to locate the assassins on the run. Tables are turned when some of the characters who are “on the spectrum” refer to their more socially accepted friends as “normies.”.
There is an adeptly hidden sexual tension between Chris, who does not show emotion, and Marybeth, whose quiet laser-driven focus on the case masks a potential to explode at any moment. It’s also easy to identify with each character, especially Chris and his brother, even though they are each distinctively wired personalities, masterfully played by Affleck and Bernthal.
Production designer Jade Healy’s sets and locations are meticulous in detail. Each room, item, and color and tells part of the story of the person or people who make their existence in them or use them. Healy has been a set decorator and production designer since 2007 and has built an impressive resume of films of widely varied styles, including The Green Knight (2021) and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019). In one uniquely staged scene in The Accountant 2, Chris and Braxton sit in 2 chairs perched on top of Chris’s Airstream motor home with a couple of beers and talk.
This is a perfect vehicle for Affleck, as Chris, who lives inside his head. Ever since I have followed Affleck as an actor, one of his most distinguishing skills is the ability to communicate extremely subtle shades of emotion with only his eyes. Bernthal has been acting on television and film since 2002. He came from a strong theatre background and began doing small roles and guest stars on TV shows, usually tightly wound character roles. Then he starred on Daredevil and The Walking Dead. Now, Bernthal stars on The Bear as “Michael Berzatta.”
This is one sequel that deserved to be made and stands on its own, even if you did not see The Accountant. That original film never did well at the box office (was it the name, perhaps?), but in the years since, it’s become a favorite of film buffs. Nine years later, this sequel is already enjoying much better audience reception. The overall theme of the film is the phenomenon that each of our brains works differently, and that people can never be classified as simply smart or stupid. This film brings home the reality that some people’s brains are wired to process details that may seem hidden to others, and yet they may not be able to communicate with ease or develop relationships in ways that most people find easy and natural.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
