KSL Movie Show review: ‘The Accountant 2’ has more heart and soul than the original

Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.

SALT LAKE CITY — It always makes me feel a little unsettled when watching a movie or a TV series, when someone says “they’re on the spectrum” or they’re “austistic” so they must have some hidden mental superpowers like “good at math,” “remembers dates and names” or “can count the number of jelly beans in a jar at a glance.”

All cool stuff, but also glaringly stereotypical.

Thus, we are treated to another wild tale of the exploits of one Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) an underworld accountant known for laundering money for some of the biggest criminals in the world.  

He is also driven to solve puzzles, in this case, the murder of a high-ranking U.S. Treasury official and how it relates to a cold-blooded international assassin, Anaïs (Daniella Pineda), who was the last person to see the official alive, but did not actually kill him.

Related: KSL Movie Show review: ‘The Diamond Heist’ is a true story with a James Bond-esque plot

In the first film, Christian and his brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) only crossed paths near the end of that story, but this time around, Christian is going to need Brax’s reluctant help early and often.

That dynamic of the cool, calculating, emotionless Christian working with the impulsive, raging, violent Braxton will be the essence of the lighter moments of this sequel, making this easily much more entertaining from a comical standpoint as compared with the original.

And yet, while the first movie focused on greed, corruption and backstabbing by corporate powerbrokers, this one has a more sinister inclination dealing with child abduction and trafficking, putting kids in harm’s way, a much more emotional tug, while also walking a humorous tightrope.

It’s an interesting mix that works fairly well. I’ve never been much of a Jon Bernthal fan, but his efforts here, as well as his Punisher persona in the “Daredevil” series, have given me a wake-up call to his growing talents. 

More from KSL Movie Show: ‘The Wedding Banquet’ is worth the effort

So it turns out, I actually enjoyed this sequel a bit more than the original, because it has more heart and soul, plus the chemistry between Ben and Jon is readily apparent.

There is still a ton of “John Wick” type violence, but if you handled it during the first go-around, you’ll have no problem here, when the guys are going all-out to try and save a bus full of innocent children — not a metaphor, by the way.

“The Accountant 2” (B+) Rated R for strong violence, and language throughout. Starring Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniella Pineda and J.K. Simmons. Directed by Gavin O’Connor (“Warrior” “Miracle” “The Accountant”) – filmed in Los Angeles. Running time: 132 minutes.

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.