In 2016, The Accountant was released in cinemas and received critical acclaim. An action hero living with autism who uses it to his advantage was a unique concept that was done well thanks to Ben Affleck’s performance. As good as the film was, it felt like it didn’t live up to its full potential, and fans have been demanding a sequel ever since. Nine years later, we finally get that long-awaited sequel as The Accountant 2 is blasting its way into cinemas worldwide with Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons and Cynthia Addai-Robinson reprising their roles.

When unknown assassins kill a colleague, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina is forced to contact Christian Wolff to help solve the murder. Adding to the complication, they also need the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother, Braxton. Christian applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to uncovering the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive, all intent on putting a stop to their search.

Ben Affleck finally returns to one of his most unique roles as Christian Wolff. The original film did a great job illustrating Christian’s challenges with living with autism from childhood to adulthood, how he managed it throughout his life and how he even used it to his advantage. In the sequel, he gets to showcase his unique skillset again by working out clues and finding leads at a fast rate that would put detectives and agents to shame. He also gets plenty of character development as he tries to work around his condition of always being stoic, literal and direct with everything and still lacking people skills. He aims to improve his personal life and relationship with his estranged brother, but of course, he has no shortage of action scenes. Christian Wolff is one of Ben Affleck’s most unique performances, and he does incredibly well in it.

Jon Bernthal reprises his role as Braxton, Christian’s younger brother. They almost match each other in skill during a fight, whether armed or unarmed, but have polar opposite personalities. While Christian is mild-mannered, straightforward and emotionless with his approach to everything, Braxton is more unhinged and arrogant and enjoys the thrill of a fight, taking pleasure in any kills he scores. He also likes to play mind games with his enemies to get the answers he needs before laying waste to them.

Jon Bernthal is best known for his role as The Punisher in the self-titled series and appearances in the Daredevil series, where he’s proven he’s more than capable of being a brutal action star audiences can root for. It’s a wonder why he doesn’t get more lead roles in action movies, as The Accountant 2 is a perfect example of what he can do on the big screen.

Cynthia Addai-Robinson returns as Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina. She unwillingly enlists the help of Christian and Braxton and is always at odds because of their methods. As an agent, she always tries to do things by the book, whereas they never hesitate to push people to their limits to get answers. She may not agree, but the results speak for themselves, and that frustrates her, especially because their methods could jeopardise her career.

J.K. Simmons reprises his role as Raymond King, and although he gets a much smaller role in the sequel, he does more than enough to make a big impact that sets the tone for the rest of the story. Unfortunately, Anna Kendrick doesn’t return from the first film. Still, her absence allows for other characters’ stories to be explored, especially the dysfunctional brother relationship, and the film indeed makes the most of this opportunity.

Daniella Pineda stars as a possible suspect whose unknown identity is a major plot point. She doesn’t get as much screen time, but it adds to the mystery of her character, and when she does appear on screen, audiences will be on the edge of their seats. She’s presented as a serious threat to anyone around her, and Pineda is a cold-hearted badass on screen.

Allison Robertson stars as Justine, an expert hacker who can access almost any device she sees. Like Christian, she also has a neurological disorder that gives her certain advantages that help her do her job. She communicates using text-to-speech on her tablet and even leads a team of young hackers trained to assist Christian with his case.

The film’s main theme is the action-hero protagonist living with a neurological disorder, which becomes one of his biggest strengths when solving cases and fighting off enemies. He isn’t alone either, as other characters are shown to have neurological disorders they got from different circumstances and how they use it as a strength instead of a weakness. The film also shows Christian’s challenges while trying to live a normal life, whether it’s finding love, expressing how he actually feels inside, or just trying to have a normal conversation with someone without upsetting them.

The sequel gives Christian plenty of character development as he tries to improve his people skills, especially with his brother, who had the most experience growing up with him and dealing with his condition. The film puts more focus on their brotherly relationship and how their opposite personalities clash with each other. Throughout the film, they’ll argue, disagree and insult each other but, on occasion, somehow get along.

The more time they spend together, the more they learn from each other, and Braxton begins to open up about his true feelings and what he wanted from his brother but never could due to how his brain is wired. Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal have fantastic chemistry together on screen, creating many comedic moments, and The Accountant 2 is strangely a funnier film than many comedy movies in recent years.

Rather than just being an action film with a basic story to justify the action, the story helps give more meaning to the action scenes thanks to its brilliant writing and entertaining characters. It makes it much more satisfying to see the villains get what’s coming to them and makes you want to root for the heroes, especially towards the end of the film. One minor drawback is that it feels like there could’ve been one more action scene, as some audiences might want a little more action by the end, but there is still plenty of glorious action to enjoy.

2016’s The Accountant created something unique that caught people’s interest but left them wanting more. The sequel aimed to fulfil that potential, and it achieved it. It shows that neurological disorders can become a strength instead of a weakness. Christian Wolff gets a lot of character development throughout the film, whether trying to improve his personal life, social skills or relationship with his brother.

The story is incredibly well written, with plot twists that many won’t see coming, and the action scenes are glorious and satisfying. The Accountant was a great film, but The Accountant 2 exceeds it in many ways and needs to be seen to be believed.

Written by: Sammy Hanson