The Accountant 2 Review: A Fun and Action-Packed Sequel That’s Also a Buddy Comedy

Director Gavin O’Connor and Ben Affleck reunite for the sequel to their action thriller, The Accountant, following the exploits of professional hitman Christian Wolff. Unlike its predecessor, The Accountant 2 delivers on the action and provides a more emotional story about brotherhood, thanks to Affleck and Jon Bernthal’s chemistry.

Building off of the first film, The Accountant 2 takes place eight years later with Ben Affleck’s Christian Wolff taking on a new case to help solve using his skills as a number cruncher and his connections to the underworld.

After the assassination of former Financial Crimes director Raymond King (J.K. Simmons), his successor, Treasury Department director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), calls on Wolff for help in a case King worked on before he died.

His death leaves a trail of pieces for Wolff to put together involving a human trafficking ring with undocumented immigrants getting killed without a trace.

To help uncover the mystery of what got King killed, Wolff enlists the help of his estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal). After having lost touch for almost a decade, the two brothers attempt to put their issues aside to expose a threat coming from across the border.

Even though the film may feel grim, there are plenty of lighthearted moments involving our main character. Wolff tries to lead a normal life by getting into the dating game through a speed-dating event, but with disastrous results.

It kind of centers Wolff’s seclusion from leading a social life as it sets him on an impromptu reunion with Braxton. We see Braxton getting roped into helping Wolff in this case to solve King’s murder, despite not having contact with him since the first time, leading to an awkward confrontation between the two.

Much like the first movie, we also get some other elements that come into play, relating to the overall main plot of the sequel. Another storyline we follow involves a highly skilled assassin named Anais (Daniella Pineda), a wild card who somehow has a connection to the case King was working on.

Despite these seemingly unrelated plot points, we get in the film, it doesn’t lessen just how entertaining The Accountant 2 turns out to be.

Much of what works in The Accountant 2 is the performances from our cast, especially those of Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal. We get to see both characters separately in the first movie before they come together face-to-face to reveal their familial connection.

The sequel feels pretty much like a follow-up where we catch up with these two, resulting in some fun and hilarious scenes shared by these two actors.

Affleck’s autistic character is treated more like a superhero as he taps into his gifted mind in solving puzzles through numbers, and his militaristic background as a trained gunman.

In contrast to Bernthal’s approach to Braxton, he is more of a wild cannon who takes a direct approach to handling business as a hired hitman. These two are opposites of each other, but it’s their brotherly bond that brings them together, as shown in their on-screen dynamic.

Both Wolff and Braxton are dealing with the same isolation in their lives, and they deal with it in their own way.

So in some ways, they are also pretty similar, just like real brothers, which both Affleck and Bernthal pull off well through their performances. It is when these two brothers want to connect that the film finds its strength. When these two clash with one another, that’s what helps bring the movie together.

The Accountant 2 is a worthy sequel that feels different from its predecessor by forgoing the seriousness of the first film and adding a buddy comedy element.

Even if some of the plot points feel like they’re all over the place, it’s the comedy and the drama between the two brothers that help bring everything into place. It’s a film that entertains the masses, no matter how silly the plot can often get.

The Accountant 2 is an improvement over the original as it brings more focus to the relationship between Ben Affleck’s and Jon Bernthal’s characters.

The story is politically relevant to our times, but it also provides a fun road trip movie with two siblings at each other’s throats while sharing a human connection as they uncover a plot involving the unfair treatment of undocumented immigrants.

It’s not an intelligent film by any means, but it still gives action and heart to everyone.

The Accountant 2 releases in theaters on April 25th, 2025.

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Mufsin Mahbub