The Accountant 2: A Disappointing Step Back in Representation

The 2016 thriller The Accountant wasn’t a game-changer, but it stood out for putting Ben Affleck’s autistic character, Christian Wolff, front and center. It mixed action with a cautious attempt to show the neurodivergent experience, making it a rare mainstream effort. A sequel could’ve built on that, maybe offering a sharper, more authentic take on autism. Instead, The Accountant 2 ramps up the absurdity, losing much of the original’s heart and purpose.

In the first film, Christian was a mathematical genius and martial artist, trained alongside his brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) after their father turned his autism diagnosis into a call for combat skills. The savant trope was there, but the script showed care, portraying Christian as someone striving to connect in a world that communicates differently. Affleck, though neurotypical, played the role with sincerity, avoiding exaggeration.

The Accountant 2 shows how uneven disability representation remains. On a positive note, autistic actor Allison Robertson shines as Justine, Christian’s non-verbal hacker partner—a casting choice that’s both rare and welcome. But her role as head of a bizarre “autistic hacker academy,” where kids work keyboards for Christian’s missions, feels far-fetched and reductive. Worse, the film sidesteps the word “autism,” with Christian vaguely mentioning “my condition” or “my people,” a retreat from the original’s clarity.

This sequel trades the first film’s quirky thriller tone for a loud, over-the-top buddy comedy. Director Gavin O’Connor and writer Bill Dubuque lean hard into the Christian-Braxton dynamic, with Bernthal’s Braxton now a brash, showy counterpart, joking about corgis and musing about The Wizard of Oz mid-mission. The brothers chase a messy plot about human traffickers and a missing family, filled with gunfire and bickering. Scenes like Christian’s awkward speed-dating attempt or out-of-place line-dancing flirt with making his autism a punchline.

After nearly a decade of delays—blamed on Covid, strikes, and studio changes—The Accountant 2 struggles to justify its return. With harmful real-world rhetoric framing autism as a crisis, the film’s failure to advance meaningful representation feels like a missed chance. Robertson’s casting is a highlight, but the exaggerated plot and uneven tone overshadow it. This sequel doesn’t move the needle forward—it’s a step back.

Director: Gavin O’Connor. Starring: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniella Pineda, JK Simmons. Rating: Cert 15, 132 minutes.