The Accountant 2, review: Ben Affleck does Dirty Harry? Count me in
Back in December, your critic theorised that Hollywood's so-called 'woke era' was nearing its end: Trump was back in force, and Republican voters were an audience the studios could no longer ignore. Never in my wildest dreams, however, did I imagine that less than five months later I would be watching a mainstream vigilante thriller from Warner Bros in which Ben Affleck thwarts a human trafficking ring being run out of a pizza shop.
Intentionally or otherwise, the most notorious Maga-adjacent conspiracy theory serves as the premise for this belated sequel to The Accountant: a largely forgotten action romp from 2016, which starred Affleck as a beefy savant who cooks crooks' books for a living, with occasional breaks for battling assassins.
It was dour, disposable and poorly reviewed, but also pretty successful, and Amazon fast-tracked this second instalment into production in February last year. The result is sillier, more rambling and reactionary than its predecessor, and all the better for it – perhaps as close as 2020s Hollywood will ever come to producing a modern-day Dirty Harry without imploding with guilt.
Notionally anchored to real-world concerns such as illegal immigration and administratively hamstrung law enforcement, it is at heart a fraternal buddy caper starring Affleck's high-functioning action hero Christian Wolff and his cooler, neurotypical hitman brother Braxton, played again by Jon Bernthal.
I can't recall anyone on screen ever actually using the word 'autistic' to describe him, but a droll opening skit set at a speed-dating event reminds us that Affleck's character sits somewhere towards the X-Men end of the spectrum. And if that sounds insensitive – well, Bill Dubuque's script furnishes him with a entire support team of autistic schoolchildren, capable of hacking any computer system out there from a picturesquely remote Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Honestly, the only thing missing from these scenes is Patrick Stewart in a wheelchair.
Affleck is brought back into service by Cynthia Addai-Robinson's financial crimes investigator, who needs him to cast his unorthodox eye over a particularly perplexing case involving an unidentified gunwoman (Daniella Pineda), Addai-Robinson's boss (JK Simmons), and a missing family of central American refugees. The plotting meanders its way to the very brink of incoherence, but as the scenes tick past, the vague sense of a many-tendrilled mystery being solved does gradually descend.
In fact, many of the film's best scenes are the ones that serve the least narrative purpose: Affleck learning how to line-dance; Bernthal standing around in his underwear ranting about dog adoption into his phone; even the pizza bases being sluiced with tomato sauce on the production line at the shady factory itself. Such moments have an authenticity and sense of fun-for-its-own-sake that's too rarely felt in the age of green screen.
It's tempting to describe these high points as throwback pleasures – the sort of heel-kicking colour that went out of fashion in the 2000s when fantasy franchise mania bit. But could they instead be anticipating a freer, less regimented strain of popular cinema? Time and box-office takings will tell, but one rather hopes the sums add up.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
LA police make mass arrests as protesters defy overnight curfew
Los Angeles police have announced they are making mass arrests in the city's downtown area, as people gathered in defiance of an overnight curfew imposed after days of protests against Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and military deployment. Late on Tuesday night local time, the LAPD wrote on X that 'multiple groups' continued to congregate within the designated downtown curfew area. 'Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated,' it said. The mayor, Karen Bass, had announced a 10-hour curfew for a 1 square mile area of downtown, where demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) have continued. The curfew was to run from 8pm to 6am, Bass said. The LAPD said it had carried out more than 300 arrests of protesters in the last two days. The crackdown came after California's governor, Gavin Newsom, filed an emergency request to block the Trump administration from using military forces to accompany Ice officers on raids throughout LA. Trump has ordered the deployment of 4,000 national guard members and 700 marines to LA after days of protests driven by anger over aggressive Ice raids that have targeted garment workers, day labourers, car washes and immigrant communities. Marines and the National Guard have no powers of arrest and are there to protect federal buildings. Newsom and the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, alleged in a lawsuit filed on Monday that Trump's takeover of the state national guard, against the governor's wishes, was unlawful. On Tuesday a federal judge declined to immediately rule on California's request for a restraining order and scheduled a hearing for Thursday. In a speech, Newsom condemned Trump for 'indiscriminately targeting hard-working immigrant families' and militarising the streets of LA, recounting how in recent days Ice agents had grabbed people outside a Home Depot, detained a nine-months-pregnant US citizen, sent unmarked cars to schools and arrested gardeners and seamstresses. 'That's just weakness masquerading as strength,' the governor said. 'If some of us can be snatched off the streets without a warrant based only on suspicion or skin colour, then none of us are safe. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves. But they do not stop there.' Newsom warned that Trump would not stop at California and encouraged people to stand up to the president. 'What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him,' he said. Trump, meanwhile, delivered a deeply partisan military speech earlier on Tuesday, calling the LA protesters 'animals' and vowing to 'liberate Los Angeles'. Speaking at a event in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to recognise the 250th anniversary of the US army, Trump made the baseless claim that the demonstrations were being led by paid 'rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion'. Trump also repeated a viral conspiracy theory that pallets of bricks were left out for protesters to hurl at police officers. On Tuesday night, hundreds of troops were transferred to LA over the objections of Democratic officials and despite concerns from local law enforcement Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, said he expected the military would remain in the city for 60 days at a cost of at least $134m. Trump said troops would remain until there was 'no danger' and said he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see,' he told reporters in the Oval Office. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion California's lawsuit said: 'Trump and Secretary of Defence Hegseth have sought to bring military personnel and a 'warrior culture' to the streets of cities and towns where Americans work, go to school and raise their families. Now they have turned their sights on California, with devastating consequences.' The deployment of the national guard is strongly opposed by California Democrats, as well as by every Democratic governor in the US. Alex Padilla, the California senator, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that protests against Ice and the subsequent legal showdown between his state and the government was 'absolutely a crisis of Trump's own making'. He said: 'There are a lot of people who are passionate about speaking up for fundamental rights and respecting due process, but the deployment of national guard only serves to escalate tensions and the situation. It's exactly what Donald Trump wanted to do.' Padilla said the Los Angeles sheriff's department had not been advised of the federalisation of the national guard. He said his office had pressed the Pentagon for a justification, and 'as far as we're told, the Department of Defence isn't sure what the mission is here'. Jim McDonnell, the LA police chief, said on Monday that the department and its local partners had decades of experience responding to large-scale demonstrations and that they were confident in their ability to continue doing so. 'The arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles, absent clear coordination, presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city,' he said. The US Northern Command, or Northcom, said in a statement on Monday that marines from the Second Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division 'will seamlessly integrate' with forces 'who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area'. Northcom said the forces had been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, and that approximately 1,700 soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a California national guard unit, were already in the greater Los Angeles area. Robert Mackey and agencies contributed to this report
Scottish Sun
13 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Son of Concorde' jet that could fly from London to NYC in 3.5 hours steps closer to reality as major ban is lifted
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CONCORDE-STYLE flights capable of blasting passengers from London to New York City in 3.5 hours have edged closer to reality after a major ban was lifted. "Son of Concorde" maker Boom Technology has welcomed President Trump's executive order that effectively lifts the 52-year ban on civil supersonic flight over land in the US. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Boom managed its first supersonic flight in January Credit: Boom Supersonic 4 Company is now making supersonic airplanes for everyday passengers Credit: Boom Supersonic 4 Tight restrictions on supersonic flights have been in place due to the loud sonic boom created by the shock waves from a flying object travelling faster than the speed of sound. "America once led the world in supersonic aviation, but decades of stifling regulations grounded progress," the White House said. "This Order removes regulatory barriers so that U.S. companies can dominate supersonic flight once again." To hit supersonic speeds, an airplane needs to travel at 768 miles per hour. But Boom Technology has been working on a jet that has no audible sonic boom. The firm managed to make its XB-1 test jet fly faster than the speed of sound for the first time in January this year. Writing on X, the company welcomed the latest move, saying: "Thank you, President Trump, for unlocking the future of faster and quieter travel. "This presidential action comes after a bipartisan group of key Congressional leaders introduced the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act on May 14, 2025. "The legislation calls on the FAA to revise the regulation prohibiting supersonic flight over land." After finishing tests with XB-1 in January, Boom is now focused on building a plane suitable for passengers called Overture. Boom 'son of Concorde' flies supersonic for first time Some 130 aircraft pre-orders have already been made by the likes of American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines. The executive order does come with a set of rules that the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been directed to impose. An interim "noise-based certification standard" must be established that considers "community acceptability, economic reasonableness, and technological feasibility". Why did the Concorde fail? CONCORDE was the supersonic passenger jet considered the ultimate luxury in air travel. Air France and British Airways announced they would be retiring their fleet of Concorde planes on April 10, 2003. The plane had its first commercial flight on January 21, 1976, so was retired after 27 years of service and 50,000 flights. Several reasons led to the decision to retire Concorde. Air France and British Airways cited low passenger numbers and high maintenance costs. By the early noughties, the planes were outdated and expensive to run, despite being incredibly advanced when they were first introduced almost three decades previously. The 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 majorly impacted passenger numbers, as people opted not to fly. Passenger numbers also fell after an Air France Concorde crashed just minutes after taking off from Paris in July 2000. The disaster killed all 109 people on board and four others on the ground. The plane ran over a small piece of metal on the runway, which burst a tyre and caused an engine to ignite. It was also the only aircraft in the British Airways fleet that required a flight engineer. Image credit: Alamy Trump was presented with a miniature model of Overture earlier this year from Boom Technology's CEO. He suggested that Boom should manufacture Air Force One - the President's personal plane - and made a dig at China President Xi Jinping. "Air Fore Once should be supersonic. Xi [President of China] can keep his 747-8," he wrote. 4 Trump posed with a miniature model of Boom Technology's Overture jet Credit: x/bscholl
The Sun
14 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘Son of Concorde' jet that could fly from London to NYC in 3.5 hours steps closer to reality as major ban is lifted
CONCORDE-STYLE flights capable of blasting passengers from London to New York City in 3.5 hours have edged closer to reality after a major ban was lifted. "Son of Concorde" maker Boom Technology has welcomed President Trump 's executive order that effectively lifts the 52-year ban on civil supersonic flight over land in the US. 4 4 4 Tight restrictions on supersonic flights have been in place due to the loud sonic boom created by the shock waves from a flying object travelling faster than the speed of sound. "America once led the world in supersonic aviation, but decades of stifling regulations grounded progress," the White House said. "This Order removes regulatory barriers so that U.S. companies can dominate supersonic flight once again." To hit supersonic speeds, an airplane needs to travel at 768 miles per hour. But Boom Technology has been working on a jet that has no audible sonic boom. The firm managed to make its XB-1 test jet fly faster than the speed of sound for the first time in January this year. Writing on X, the company welcomed the latest move, saying: "Thank you, President Trump, for unlocking the future of faster and quieter travel. "This presidential action comes after a bipartisan group of key Congressional leaders introduced the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act on May 14, 2025. "The legislation calls on the FAA to revise the regulation prohibiting supersonic flight over land." After finishing tests with XB-1 in January, Boom is now focused on building a plane suitable for passengers called Overture. Boom 'son of Concorde' flies supersonic for first time Some 130 aircraft pre-orders have already been made by the likes of American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines. The executive order does come with a set of rules that the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been directed to impose. An interim "noise-based certification standard" must be established that considers "community acceptability, economic reasonableness, and technological feasibility". Why did the Concorde fail? CONCORDE was the supersonic passenger jet considered the ultimate luxury in air travel. Air France and British Airways announced they would be retiring their fleet of Concorde planes on April 10, 2003. The plane had its first commercial flight on January 21, 1976, so was retired after 27 years of service and 50,000 flights. Several reasons led to the decision to retire Concorde. Air France and British Airways cited low passenger numbers and high maintenance costs. By the early noughties, the planes were outdated and expensive to run, despite being incredibly advanced when they were first introduced almost three decades previously. The 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 majorly impacted passenger numbers, as people opted not to fly. Passenger numbers also fell after an Air France Concorde crashed just minutes after taking off from Paris in July 2000. The disaster killed all 109 people on board and four others on the ground. The plane ran over a small piece of metal on the runway, which burst a tyre and caused an engine to ignite. It was also the only aircraft in the British Airways fleet that required a flight engineer. Image credit: Alamy Trump was presented with a miniature model of Overture earlier this year from Boom Technology's CEO. He suggested that Boom should manufacture Air Force One - the President's personal plane - and made a dig at China President Xi Jinping. "Air Fore Once should be supersonic. Xi [President of China] can keep his 747-8," he wrote. 4 Supersonic and Hypersonic Jets There are several types of hypersonic and supersonic jets. A breakdown of what's been happening in the industry and what's expected in the coming years. Talon-A Built by Stratolaunch Reported speeds of Mach 5 The first test flight conducted in 2024 X-59 Quesst Built by Nasa and Lockheed Martin Predicted max speeds of Mach 1.4 The first test flight in 2024 - but subject to delays Venus Stargazer M4 Built by Venus Aerospace and Velontra Predicted max speeds of Mach 6 First test flight in 2025 Quarterhorse MKII Built by Hermeus Predicted max speeds of Mach 2.5 First test flight in 2026 Halcyon Built by Hermeus Predicted max speeds of Mach 5 First test flight by 2030 Nanqiang No 1 Built by China's hypersonic plane programme Predicted max speeds of Mach 6 First test flight in 2025 DART Built by Hypersonix Launch Systems Predicted max speeds of Mach 7 First test flight in 2025
