'The Accountant 2' review: Weird mix of bloody violence, heartwarming humor

Ben Affleck is back in "The Accountant 2” as Christian Wolff, a man with a particular set of skills. He’s on some sort of spectrum, obsessive-compulsive, socially maladroit, but a mathematical genius. He’s also a self-defense expert and sharpshooter. And he’s handsome. And wealthy.

All right, make that a particular set of every possible skill.

Back in 2016, when Affleck first starred in "The Accountant," the movie displayed a near-total lack of humor — a problem, given its silly premise. Writer Bill Dubuque and director Gavin O’Connor (a Huntington native) return for the sequel, which fortunately is much funnier. Unfortunately, it overcorrects, going for a cutesy, heartwarming tone that belongs more to a PG-13 action comedy like "Shanghai Knights" than to a tough, R-rated thriller. Like Wolff himself, "The Accountant 2” tries to be everything to everybody but may not convince anyone.

When her boss’s corpse shows up at a Los Angeles morgue, federal agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) spots a message scrawled on his arm: "FIND THE ACCOUNTANT." Hmmm, where could he be? Well, he runs a well-known technology firm called Harbor Neuroscience, staffed by tween-aged neurodivergent savants. Or maybe he’s at a matchmaking event in Boise, Idaho (one of the film’s truly funny scenes, in which Wolff alienates each date by offering in-depth tax advice). Eventually he simply pops up in a parking garage and joins Medina in a case that will involve human trafficking, a missing El Salvadoran family and an unidentifiable assassin (Daniella Pineda).

Enter Braxton, Wolff’s estranged younger brother, again played by a welcome Jon Bernthal ("The Walking Dead," "The Bear"). He’s a hit man, but a sensitive, even needy one, first seen arguing with his ex over custody of their Corgi. This character is no more believable than Wolff, but Bernthal almost makes it work, cranking his edgy charm to 11 and stealing every scene from the low-affect Affleck. The film can’t be saved, but Bernthal sure tries.

One area where O’Connor excels: He understands men and their clamped-down emotions. (See his other Affleck collaboration, 2020's "The Way Back," and 2011’s "Warrior" for proof.) The unspoken affection between Wolff and Braxton is rich territory, and the director clearly wants to explore it. But this lock-and-load action flick is not the place, and the brothers’ scenes feel either embarrassingly sincere (a misty-eyed heart-to-heart during a golden sunset) or broadly comical (a rousing brawl against some cartoon rednecks). Are we watching "Jason Bourne" or "City Slickers?"

The finale juxtaposes the grim sight of children being ushered into a mass grave with — astoundingly — the rescue of an adorable kitty. In a word: Yeesh. What "The Accountant 2” could have used is an auditor, someone to point out when things don’t add up.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com