May 1, 2025 – As a fan of the original film, I was a bit disappointed in this sequel, despite its attempt to amp up the humor and action, because it accomplishes both goals at the expense of its main character.

The main character, played by Ben Affleck, is essentially a tragic figure in the first film, abused as a child, witness to his father's murder, unable to function emotionally as a family member, and unable to have a romantic relationship of any kind, he is narrowly focused on his goals as art collector and supporter of an autistic treatment facility.

In the sequel, this damaged man (who goes by an alias, Christian Wolff) is humanized by an encounter with a brain-damaged ruthless killer named Anaïs (played by Daniella Pineda of “Jurassic World Dominion”) who is out for revenge against an old, half-forgotten enemy. Wolff gets caught up in this battle because of his connection to one of its victims, Raymond King (J.K. Simmons, reprising his role).

Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson, reprising her role) a US Treasury agent, is also pulled into this conflict, since Raymond King is her mentor. The conflict is essentially a battle between contract killers, including Wolff's own brother, Braxton (Jon Bernthal, reprising his role) who becomes involved when Wolff asks for his help.

Wolff and Braxton team up to track down the man who is hiring contract killers in an attempt to kill the mysterious and deadly Anaïs. At the center of this conflict is a abominable criminal enterprise involving murder, kidnapping and child exploitation. The conflict leads to Wolff and Braxton on a mission to save children. At the same time, Anaïs at last confronts her old enemy face to face. Lots of bodies pile up along the way.

The plot of the sequel includes a significant shift in Wolff's personality, making him less autistic, more personable and less tragic than he is in the first film. The plot also requires the viewer to suspend disbelief over something called “Acquired Savant Syndrome.” This shows up in the plot as a person in a car accident suffering severe brain injuries. The injuries cause near total amnesia, but also, incredibly, result in the desire and ability to develop elite combat skills. This is a lot like a person being hit by lightning and gaining super speed as a result.

In addition to Acquired Savant Syndrome, there is enough autistic savant activity going on in this film to make Robert F. Kennedy Junior's head spin. There was a lot of it in the first film, but much more of it in the sequel. One would think, watching this film, that everybody with autism is a savant. The savant activity in this film is so extreme it is more like science fiction. In the first film, there were two savants. In the sequel, there are a lot more.

The main thing this film has going for it is the relationship between brothers Wolff and Braxton. They have a very uneasy relationship, full of resentments, frustrations and grudging admiration. They end up doing the right thing almost by accident. For a time, the two team up with Marybeth Medina, but the moral ambiguity of the brothers becomes too much for her to bear.

It looks to me like the plot of this movie is designed to accommodate a sequel. It has the makings of a good team of characters in Wolff, Braxton, and possibly Anaïs too, who could be like a Marvel team. Despite the clunky plot, and the shift in the personality of its main character, this is an entertaining movie. It is not as good as the less outlandish original film, but it is O.K. entertainment. It rates a C+.

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