Initially, I wasn’t planning on seeing this movie. First, because it wasn’t released by Warner Bros – which seems to do a sequel for almost all their movies (the Harry Potter franchise, the Lord of the Rings franchise, The Conjuring franchise, the DC franchise, the “Dune” movies, the “Godzilla” and “King Kong” franchise, the Mad Max movies, etc.). I thought that if Warner Bros didn’t like it then it might not be a good sequel. However, there have been a few studio changes recently – the “Knives Out” sequel went to Netflix and the most recent “Indiana Jones” movie was released by Disney – so maybe this movie was like that.
The second reason I wasn’t planning on seeing it is because I haven’t seen the first movie. I know that I missed a lot from not seeing the first movie since it’s referenced quite a few times in this sequel. However, even without seeing the first movie, I’m glad I decided to tag along with a friend. He filled me in about a few of the references to the first movie.
The movie takes place about a decade after the first movie (since the first movie was released a decade ago). Ray King (J.K. Simmons – who I’m told was a big part of the previous movie) is partly retired and partly a private eye. In the opening scene, he’s meeting a mysterious woman (Daniella Pineda) about his search for a family of immigrants – father, mother, and son. Before they can finish the conversation, they’re attacked by a bunch of thugs. Ray King is killed, but not before writing something on his arm. Rays’ emergency contact is still Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) who worked for him 10 years ago and now heads the “Financial Crimes Enforcement Network”. When she identifies the body, she sees the message on his arm which says, “Find the Accountant”.
With the help of the accountant’s contact Justine (Allison Robertson), who doesn’t talk except via a British female computer voice (voice of Allison Wright) – I initially thought she was deaf, but my friend said she’s also autistic and she doesn’t speak – “The Accountant” aka Christian Wolf (Ben Affleck) shows up to meet her. Not long after that, Christian Wolf decides they need even more help, so he enlists his estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal). The three of them piece together the backstory of the family which involves trafficking and illegal immigration.
One of the things I missed by not seeing the first movie is that Christian Wolf has autism which makes him very good at figuring out people’s finances. That’s why he’s named “The Accountant”. However, he doesn’t do much accounting in this movie. One of the first times he is seen in the movie, he has figured out how to rig an online dating site so when they have an in-person get together, all the women want to speak to him. Unfortunately, talking to him isn’t as good as his online profile makes him out to be. Instead of thinking that Christian has autism, I was thinking he’s somewhat like Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory” (some people have said they think that Sheldon may have autism).
Instead of doing accounting, a lot of the movie deals with his relationship with his brother, which is the most interesting and entertaining parts of the movie. At one point, Christian goes line dancing – to the delight of his brother – and then intentionally asks someone to hit him because he knows his brother enjoys fighting. Using “The Big Bang Theory” comparison again, the brother’s relationship is somewhat similar to the relationship of Sheldon and his roommate Leonard Hofstadter. Braxton isn’t autistic like his brother, but he does have some insecurities.
Another interesting part of the movie is Christian working with Justine. She and her team can hack their way into anything. To Marybeth’s amazement, Justine and her team hack into a woman’s personal computer and distract her by doing things like ringing her doorbell so they can search for a photo on her computer.
The main plot of the movie is the search for the missing family – including additional encounters with the woman Ray was speaking to in the opening scene and one of the thugs that was there when Ray was killed – gets a little complicated but the connection between the two brothers keeps the movie going. After the brothers beat up a few guys and throw one guy into the trunk of her car, Marybeth decides to leave them and investigate on her own. That leads to more personal conversations between the two brothers.
Not seeing the first movie, I do have some questions which I believe were discussed in that movie and only briefly referenced in this one. For example, the brothers talk about the last time they saw each other – which was the first movie. Most of what they’re referring to is still a mystery to me. Also, I know that Anna Kendrick was in the first movie but isn’t in the sequel. I just read an article online that says she will be in the 3rd movie if there is one.
However, without seeing the first movie I still enjoyed this movie. The fight scenes – which evolve into gunfights – are fairly routine, but Christian, his brother, and the British voice on the phone provided by Justine’s computer keep the movie entertaining. I think I’ll be checking out the first movie soon.
Overall: 7 out of 10
LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW 