The Accountant 2
already has a huge advantage over the original, and it all comes down to removing Anna Kendrick’s character. Listen, I think Anna Kendrick is a wonderful actor and individual. She appears intelligent, witty, and full of energy. In several roles, she shines as one of the best parts of any given film, whether it be an action movie, a tense thriller, or a rom-com, but I am also very pleased to hear that she won’t be returning for The Accountant 2.
The Accountant, released in 2016, is a film that follows a severely autistic man who appears to have built a comfortable and structured life to suit his needs. His love of numbers makes him an excellent accountant, earning large sums of money and spotting things that others frequently miss. However, Christian Wolff, played by Ben Affleck, is also an accomplished and ᴅᴇᴀᴅly ᴀssᴀssin capable of doling out lethal justice and putting the bad guys down. And it was in this setting that Anna Kendrick’s presence just didn’t work for the film.
Ben Affleck & Anna Kendrick’s Romance Was The Worst Part Of The Accountant
The Romance Plot Of The Accountant Felt Unnecessary
Anna Kendrick plays Dana Cummings, an accountant who flagged indiscrepancies that caused her company to hire Christian. When she meets Christian, she is excited to see how efficient he is, cutting through years’ worth of paperwork overnight, and finding where the money is going. Christian is also excited, meeting someone with a shared pᴀssion, and finding himself feeling comfortable and at-ease around Dana. But the problems crop up when the two begin to form an awkward romance.
The romance itself is not entirely an issue, though it does feel wedged in on top of a thrilling action movie, but there is a complete lack of chemistry between the two characters, and the way that the relationship plays out feels very forced and uncomfortable. This may be made worse by the fact that Ben Affleck is 13 years older than Kendrick, and looks as though he could be her father. It makes sense that the movie needed to give them a special relationship in order to have The Accountant’s Christian Wolff be so invested in protecting Dana, but the romance angle fell flat.
I’m Already Hopeful The Accountant 2 Can Top The Original Movie
The Accountant 2 Is Already On The Right Track To Beating The Original
Outside of that, the movie had a lot going for it. Affleck has proven to be an incredible action hero in several films previously. The mystery and intrigue about who was behind the stolen money was compelling. And the flashbacks that slowly revealed parts of Christian’s challenging childhood with his father and brother helped to build out the character and narrative in meaningful and satisfying ways. With a sequel set to release soon, there is a lot of potential for this second outing to improve on what the first movie did well, and remove the parts that failed to resonate.
Not including Kendrick, and thereby removing the awkward romance between Christian and Dana, is a great first step. Beyond that, it’s extremely exciting to have other characters confirmed to return, like Christian’s brother. It is also worthwhile diving deeper into the story about the person aiding Christian on his missions, and exploring how Christian is doing things that are blatantly illegal, in order to try and conduct vigilante accounting efforts and clean up other dirty businesses. The Accountant 2 has a lot going for it, but Anna Kendrick is better used elsewhere.
