The Accountant 2

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, J.K. Simmons, Daniella Pineda, Alison Wright, Robert Morgan, Grant Harvey, Andrew Howard
Directed by: Gavin O'Connor
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
2025

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Christian (Ben Affleck) teams with his brother (Jon Bernthal) to uncover a mystery involving a Salvadorean family.

Review:

Tim: Gavin O'Connor surprised everyone with his 2016 film, The Accountant. That was such a solid, entertaining action movie that surpassed expectations. It took 9 years, but he finally delivers a sequel. Catching up with Christian Wolff and his brother Braxton is another enjoyable affair. This movie isn't quite as effective as the original, but it's a solid sequel that I enjoyed.

This movie offers a fairly straightforward story that mirrors many similar movies that have come before. Honestly, I had a hard time even describing the story. It feels secondary- it's an excuse to move things forward. It's always good, and yet never remarkable. It's all just variations of things we've seen before- we have the good guys, the bad guys, there's a missing family. The "twists" the narrative throws at us never feel that surprising, and they felt a bit overly complex. I wasn't always buying what the film sold, but it felt okay, because it at least marginally held our interest at all times. I'm not saying any of this is necessarily a "good" thing, but the narrative moves things forward. The movie would have been better with a stronger story, but as a whole, it works enough. On the positive side, I was engaged with the story and I was interested in seeing how it would all resolve.

If the narrative is secondary, the primary focus is on the characters. It felt genuinely fun to revisit these characters. I remember the broad strokes, but it's been nine years- so I didn't remember any of the specifics. I was looking forward to seeing Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal in these roles again, but I had no memory of Cynthia Addai-Robinson being in the first film. Now, the biggest attraction is absolutely seeing Affleck and Bernthal. They make a great pairing. Christian Wolff is an interesting character and Affleck plays him with great restraint and precision. I'm not sure the role requires immense talent, but Affleck brings this character to life again. Whereas Christian is rigid and formulaic, his brother Braxton is brash, charismatic, and challenging. This is a perfect role for Bernthal, who's able to breath life into Braxton, highlight the difficulties of the character, and yet infuse him with an underlying humanity that surprises us. The most powerful moments of the film involve these two brothers discussing their lives and relationships. That's why the story being a bit weaker feels relatively okay- it affords these two characters a chance to reflect and connect. I really enjoyed that aspect of the film.

With regard to Addai-Robinson, although I didn't remember her from the first film (and I neglected to mention her at all in my review)- I thought she gave a good performance. She was a more humanizing force in the film and her character had a certain level of complexity that I enjoyed. She works well opposite both Affleck and Bernthal. Although the movie moves away from her too much towards the end, I thought she gave a strong performance. I always love seeing J.K. Simmons and I was so pumped to see him reprise his role. I do wish the film gave him more to do, though. He feels more like just connective tissue. Daniella Pineda does some very interesting things with her performance, she adds to the movie. As a whole, I thought the cast was decent- it's not an amazing cast, but they give good enough performances.

The action scenes throughout the film are effective. There's several exciting, well-executed sequences. I'm not sure the film delivers a truly powerful, standout sequence, but seeing Affleck and Bernthal in action is always worth our time. This is a movie that puts the drama before the action, but overall, it works.

As a whole, I enjoyed The Accountant 2. I was looking forward to seeing it, and it feels like a good enough sequel. I was surprised when I realized it had been so long since the first film. That hurts the movie a bit- without a rewatch, you're really struggling to remember specifics. However, this is a solid action movie. The story is never great, but it's good enough to hold our attention and propel the characters forward. The movie is likely a bit too long at 2 hours, 12 minutes- but it never felt that way. I was engaged and interested in what was happening on screen. It could have used some trimming in a few places, but O'Connor mostly delivers a worthwhile, entertaining film. This movie isn't especially noteworthy, but it's a solid success.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Accountant, Runner Runner, The Town, The Way Back