Aaron Ploof
I’m familiar with autism, and so is Christian Wolff, played by Ben Affleck. We both share the same diagnosis. Although Asperger’s Syndrome is no longer used as a term, the symptoms remain the same. Individuals with autism often struggle to read social cues and engage in reciprocal conversations. They tend to develop specialized interests and have few friendships. While I have outgrown most of these signs, Christian still displays all of them.
While he hasn’t grown much since the events of the previous film, that is about to change. In The Accountant 2, his journey takes him through uncharted emotional territory, challenging his character in unique ways, especially in his relationship with his brother, Braxton (The Walking Dead and The Punisher’s Jon Bernthal). Watching the two team up to solve a new mystery makes for an entertaining buddy action-comedy that celebrates the misunderstood and marginalized. Unfortunately, the film’s good intentions are somewhat undermined by awkward exposition and a few plot holes.
Autistic Bro Comedy
The film begins with a fast pace, immediately immersing viewers in a scene where a mysterious woman named Anaïs (played by Daniella Pineda) meets with Raymond King, the Director of FinCEN and one of Christian’s allies (Spiderman’s J.K. Simmons). During their conversation, King shows Anaïs a photo, but they are interrupted by a sudden shootout. Tragically, King is killed in the chaos, but not before he writes the words, “Find The Accountant,” on his arm. Later, Marybeth Medina (The Rings of Power’s Cynthia Addai-Robinson) recognizes his body and seeks out Christian to uncover the reason behind his murder. In response, Christian reaches out to Braxton for additional support, forming the basis of our three-person team!
What stands out in this film compared to the original is its much more comedic tone. The film uses Christian’s autism for comedic effect, highlighting his quirks in interactions with other characters. When we first see the accountant again, he is headed to a speed-dating event that he has manipulated to benefit himself. However, he ends up boring and confusing all the women with lengthy information dumps about his business.
This resonates with many autistic individuals. We often strongly desire to share detailed information about our favorite topics, and we can talk endlessly about them without realizing that we might be boring our audience. While I have learned to manage this impulse over time, Christian does not “mask” his behavior.
Thank You
What hurts Christian more than dumping info is his neglect of his brother. Specifically, it’s the fact that he doesn’t call him. It’s clear that Chris cares about Brax; he explains that he hasn’t reached out to protect him. However, the reality that Christian has never called on birthdays or checked in on his brother, despite promising to do so, has created a rift in their relationship. Braxton feels unappreciated and complains that Christian has never once thanked him for having his back since childhood.
All of this might suggest that Christian, and by extension, autistic individuals, lack empathy. However, I firmly believe this couldn’t be further from the truth. While we may experience what is known as “mind-blindness,” which makes it challenging to understand another person’s perspective, this does not mean we are incapable of feeling compassion or understanding for others.
In The Accountant, Christian is depicted as someone who genuinely cares for Dana (Pitch Perfect’s Anna Kendrick) and even risks his life to save her. Christian is not a sociopath; rather, his flaw lies in his tendency to shut himself off from the harm he causes through his criminal actions. He may find it easier to distance himself emotionally, which can stem from his difficulty seeing things from someone else’s viewpoint.
The relationship between the two brothers isn’t entirely tragic. A sequence in a bar shows the siblings at their best, with Braxton cheering Christian on while he kills it on the dancefloor to Copper Head Road. Christian even lands himself some digits. This relationship is the heart of the film, and it pushes Christian to think outside of himself.
Hope for Outcasts and Autistics
I resonate deeply with the hope for Autistics. I’ve always believed that we need to see media portrayals where individuals on the spectrum overcome their challenges and aren’t defined by them. My desire is for my fellow autistics to be inspired by art. I want them to believe they can form friendships and develop loving relationships. In this regard, Justine’s crew of autistic hacking superheroes, who assist Christian and his friends, truly demonstrate their value and are a pleasure to watch in action. I want autistic viewers to see themselves reflected in these characters. While they may not receive extensive development, their contributions to solving the mystery are significant.
The plot expands its understanding and compassion towards immigrants, survivors of sexual assault, working women, and those who are often overlooked and marginalized. For this reason, I appreciated the story’s direction and the themes it explored.
The Case
The story could have been told much better. The film included several exposition dumps to explain the characters’ motivations and backstories, but these were delivered too quickly. They left little time for the audience to absorb and process the new information. This sometimes slows the film’s pace to a crawl. Additionally, some characters’ motivations remained unclear. And I really miss Anna Kendrick.
That said, the actors delivered strong performances. Affleck convincingly portrays an introverted individual with autism. Bernthal effectively embodies Braxton, showcasing the damaged, violent traits for which he is well-known as a tragic, tough-guy character actor. Addai-Robinson performs adequately, although her role doesn’t require much depth. Impressively, Pineda also does her own stunts. Once again, there’s a climactic action scene towards the end of the film, and its intensity and fast-paced combat capped off the story nicely.
On to Better Things
This isn’t the end for The Accountant. There’s already a 3rd film in production, and I’m genuinely interested to see where they take the plot next. There are some dangling threads left, and there’s potential growth for both Christian and Braxton. Just gotta work on that exposition. The Accountant 2 receives a score of
Score: 7/10
