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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of a series on how tribes and Indigenous communities are coping with and combating climate change.Newtok village leaders began searching for a new townsite more than two decades ago, ultimately swapping land with the federal government for a place 9 miles (14.48 kilometers) away on the stable volcanic underpinnings of Nelson Island in the Bering Strait.

But the move has been slow, leaving Newtok a split village. Even after most residents shifted to Mertarvik, the grocery store and school remained in Newtok, leaving some teachers and students separated from their families for the school year.Power poles lean in the village of Newtok, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Power poles lean in the village of Newtok, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Homes of people who relocated from Newtok, Alaska are visible in Mertarvik, Alaska on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Homes of people who relocated from Newtok, Alaska are visible in Mertarvik, Alaska on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Calvin Tom, the tribal administrator and Ashley’s uncle, called Newtok “not a place to live anymore.” Erosion has tilted power poles precariously, and a single good storm this fall will knock out power for good, he said.

For now, the rush is on to get 18 temporary homes that arrived in Mertarvik on a barge set up before winter sets in.) whose powers of deduction are enhanced by his autism, just succeeds at punching up the numbers for “The Accountant” in this belated follow-up.

It’s a role that was always an odd fit for Affleck. In a way, that’s the intention. Affleck’s Christian Wolff is a monotone bean counter who used to help criminal organizations launder money and clean their books. Now, he’s a combination of stickler and vigilante whose insight into tax filings and other paper trails helps him hunt down any clue. The best scene in “The Accountant 2” might be when he exposes a human trafficking scheme at a pizza company by rapidly calculating a dubious gap of underreported pizza box expenses. (There, if ever, is a reason to keep your receipts.)Affleck, of course, has always been a more garrulous, charismatic screen presence. The role of savant wasn’t for him; it was for his “Good Will Hunting” co-star, Matt Damon. Here, though, he’s an emotionless android who speaks in clipped sentences and avoids eye contact. And while the “Rain Man” shtick of “The Accountant” always feels forced, you can tell Affleck is enjoying himself.

In “The Accountant 2,” that’s most true when he’s paired up with Jon Bernthal. He plays Wolff’s more outgoing and freewheeling brother, Braxton, who has a knack for bloody mayhem but harbors hurt feelings from his brother’s distance in recent years. The two make a fine action duo of opposites. The problem? It takes a long time in Bill Dubuque’s unhurried and disordered script to get to them.The movie begins with a set piece of misdirection that adds to the muddled nature of the first act. Retired FBI financial crimes boss Raymond King (J.K. Simmons) is meeting someone at a restaurant who might help in his search for a family of Central American refugees. It’s a hit job, though, with snipers in position, and a separate, mysterious assassin (Daniella Pineda) lurking about. The scene ends with King’s body taken out with a message he’s written on his forearm: “Find the accountant.”