I was lukewarm on The Accountant, released in 2016, and so can is a rare example where the sequel is an improvement on the original.  It’s far from perfect but it’s a sufficiently engaging action-thriller that works because of interesting villains and the humorous interaction between lead actors Ben Affleck (Argo) and Jon Bernthal (The Wolf of Wall Street).

To bring newcomers up to speed, the original introduced us to Christian Wolff (Affleck), a shrewd, autistic accountant engaged by bad guys to launder money.  It turns out even villains need good advice on financial management and record keeping!  Wolff sounds like someone who belongs in prison, but he became the movie’s hero – violently slaying hitmen and sneakily leaking information to the government’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

The Accountant 2 picks things up several years later.  Wolff has the same, socially awkward persona but his life is simpler.  He’s living alone, enjoying his campervan, and driving around the country.  He’s not looking for trouble, but to use a cliché, trouble has come looking for him.  U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Addai-Robinson) has sought Wolff’s services in trying to solve the brutal murder of a colleague.  They team up with Wolff’s reluctant brother (Bernthal) and uncover a plethora of nasty crimes and nasty people.

There’s enough to like here.  The contrast between Affleck as the telling-things-straight accountant and Bernthal as the keeping-things-chill hitman is a recipe for laughs and interesting conversations.  Cynthia Addai-Robinson is solid as the government official struggling to reconcile Wolff’s illegal acts (loved the guy in the trunk).  Daniella Pineda creates intrigue as a ruthless assassin whose motives are murky.  I was less convinced by a team of youngers providing hacking-support from a secretive base, but I enjoyed their cool technology (it’s a fun moment when they hack a random’s personal computer).

For action-lovers after physical fights and gun battles, the final half hour serves up what you’re looking for.  The scenes have been nicely shot and choreographed by American director Gavin O’Connor (Warrior).  It’s not groundbreaking stuff but, because we’ve grown to care about the characters, there’s tension as we worry about their fate.  The film’s mystery elements aren’t bad either.

I’m not sure the industry will be using this as a tool to recruit people into the profession but, as a Chartered Accountant myself, it’s nice to show the world we’re capable of almost anything!