The Accountant 2 Makes One Huge (And Important) Improvement Over The First Movie

It may have taken nine years for it to happen, but Ben Affleck has finally reunited with director Gavin O'Connor for "The Accountant 2." The first movie was rather successful, becoming a massive hit on VOD and streaming, in addition to a box office success. It only makes sense that a sequel happened, but "The Accountant 2" is, by and large, considered to be a major improvement over its predecessor.

Without getting into spoilers, there's more effective action. The characters are more fleshed out. The central mystery is very compelling. It's a very fun movie. I gave "The Accountant 2" a very favorable review following its premiere at SXSW, but part of the reason the movie resonated with me so much goes far beyond any of the actors involved or the puzzle Affleck's Christian Wolff is tasked with solving this time around. More than anything else, O'Connor's sequel offers up a far better representation of what it's like to live one's life as a member of society while existing on the autism spectrum.

To put my cards on the table, I don't say this as an expert who has studied autism or anything like that. I say this as someone who is on the autism spectrum. I only learned that I was on the spectrum a couple of years ago, and I am closer to 40 than I am to 30. For years, I knew I was different in ways that felt impossible to describe. None of it made sense. It was often frustrating to the point of being depressing. It felt as though something was wrong with me.

It turns out, I have what used to be referred to commonly as Asperger's, a form of autism with lower support needs. Though this is an outdated term that is no longer used in large part due to the controversial Austrian physician Hans Asperger, for whom it was named. From a personal standpoint, I can say definitively that this movie does a downright excellent job at capturing what it can be like to live on the spectrum, especially during a time when the autism community is under attack.

Right or wrong, "The Accountant" was criticized a fair amount for its depiction of "autism as a superpower" of sorts, one that helped Wolff become quite the assassin, in addition to being good with numbers. Little White Lies called it "another example of Hollywood's autism problem" at the time, with the film leaning into the idea that people with autism are savants who can excel at a particular skill. 1988's "Rain Man," which features Dustin Hoffman as an autistic man who wins a bunch of money in Las Vegas, is the most notable example and its success helped establish a template Hollywood has often followed when it comes to depictions of autism on screen.

"The need to really understand this role and to present it in a way that had authenticity, integrity, compassion, empathy, and understanding was the most important thing to me about this movie," Affleck said in an interview with the Associated Press. "In the intervening years [since the first movie], it's something that I've come to understand a lot better, and have more compassion for this character, and a deeper and richer understanding of it."

Christian Wolff is indeed a much more fleshed out character in the sequel, and though he may have savant-like qualities, we get to see more of his struggles as someone — particularly a lonely person — who is trying to find connection. That can often be difficult for people on the spectrum. For me, the film's speed dating scene in the movie is one of the most hilarious yet true-to-life depictions of trying to find a romantic connection while being on the spectrum I've ever seen. Affleck, speaking further, made clear that there was a real attempt to understand these challenges and depict them responsibly:

"What I saw as a commonality which is, in this story, and oftentimes for some people who are on the spectrum, one of the challenges is human connection. Trying to decode the often inscrutable signals that we consciously or subconsciously send one another. Particularly like dating, for example."

I can't speak for all people on the spectrum — it's a spectrum for a reason. I can only speak to my own experiences. Still, I have to imagine I'm not alone. Growing up, the "spectrum" of it all wasn't discussed nearly as much. 

I wasn't offered consideration in terms of someone who should be looked at for autism. That made the way I processed the world relative to others confusing. It's probably why Alex Garland's "Civil War" scared the s*** out of me as I'm not a fan of loud noises. What Affleck and O'Connor infuse into this sequel feels like a genuine compassion for autistic people. It's miles above the first movie in that regard. 

The funny moments were funny because I've been there. I never took it as them turning autism into a punchline. I tried speed dating. I couldn't game the system like Christian, but I went home alone all the same. I've had trouble with people because I don't know how to read certain social cues. As such, Christian's relationship with his brother Brax (Jon Bernthal) felt real to me. There's a moment where Brax is frustrated with Christian and implies that it's because something is wrong with him. Christian then responds with, "I'm just me." I cried. I don't imagine a lot of people will, but I did.

A big part of my journey is trying to convince myself I'm not broken. That there isn't something wrong with me. I'm just me. So seeing Affleck as Christian learn to line dance and get a girl's number while his brother watches proudly? That hits extra hard. Such moments, which might be mundane for handsome, neurotypical men, are rare for people such as myself. I more than understood what that meant to Christian, and it felt real. It felt compassionate. I felt seen. I certainly didn't expect "The Accountant 2," of all movies, to help me reckon with all of this to the point of tears. Yet, here we are. 

It feels like a big step in the right direction in terms of autism representation, much in the way that "A Quiet Place" was for deaf people. We still need more people with disabilities getting a shot at these roles. Hollywood needs to get more direct input from people within these communities to avoid shoddy, poor representations in the future. That's unquestionable. For now though, we have a big-budget sequel with an A-list cast that is trying to earnestly offer up an authentic(ish) portrayal of autism, albeit with some action movie flair. That feels like a win.

"The Accountant 2" is in theaters now.