Film Review: The Accountant 2

Welcome back to the blog readers. Please do not kill me here, but I never saw The Accountant (2016) before. Everybody that I know that did see it, however, say they love it. I tend to take people at their word because when has anyone ever steered anyone else wrong with an opinion that they have? Besides, action films are my forte (with probably one of my most anticipated of the year coming out in a week's time) and I would be remiss if I did not at least check it out. Without the baggage of the first film, would I be able to have myself a good old time or would I get lost in all the numbers? Stick around to find out.

The Accountant 2 was directed by Gavin O'Connor from a screenplay by Bill Dubuque, based on characters created by Dubuque. The film stars Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniella Pineda, the voice of Allison Wright, and J. K. Simmons. In the film, Christian Wolff, an autistic certified public accountant with a lethal double life, teams up with his brother Braxton and the new Deputy Director of FinCEN to track down a missing family being targeted by human traffickers.

Again, having not seen the first film, I really had no expectations for it. I do go into every film I see hoping there is something positive I can take away from it (unless you are Madame Web (2024)). So it brings me great joy to say that there was not really anything negative I have to say about the film. It was definitely a fun time with a hell of a lot of heart and a great performance from Ben Affleck. The story may be a little derivative at times, but everyone here does their best to make it seem fresh.

I want to start this review by talking about the performance of Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff. Since I never watched the first film, I have no reference point for him playing this character. But I love Affleck as an actor (and I am indebted to him for providing me with my favorite film of all time in Argo (2012)) and when he delivers, he delivers. And he absolutely brings the goods in this film. I think it was when he was dissecting the pizza guy's business I was instantly sold on this character. Well that and when he rearranged the photos on the wall and deduced his reasoning. He absolutely brings a different layer to this character that I have never seen from him, and I definitely will go back and watch the first film.

I also want to make special mention of the performance of Jon Bernthal as brother Braxton (that sounds like it has a ring to it). Bernthal is one of the better underrated actors in the game right now, and he is already having a stellar 2025. From his fiery role in Daredevil: Born Again (2025-) to the five minutes he was in The Amateur (2025) and the announcement he is starring in The Odyssey (2026), Bernthal is racking up the roles. And playing assassin Braxton definitely has its upsides. He knows how to play a stone-cold killer one minute and then drop the facade and be a supportive brother. If this mystical and hypothetical Accountant 3 happens I will be there to see more of the electric chemistry between Affleck and Bernthal.

Before I talk about the story of the film, I want to talk about the fact that this film and the first installment highlight autistic people and people on the spectrum in a positive light. The stigma surrounding autism for the last 70 years has ebbed and flowed, but society has become a lot more hostile to it now than it has in the past. So seeing someone with high-functioning autism be showcased in an awesome and a badass way is very good to see, and autistic people absolutely matter in society. Some people may not want to admit it but they contribute more to our society than people will give them credit for.

And I want to end this review by talking about the writing and the story of this film. I do somewhat like the writing of this film, with someone with a particular gift being able to crack a seemingly uncrackable case with ease. But the problem I have with the film is the story of the film is pretty derivative. I have seen this film many times. A lone wolf (and sometimes they are with friends) decides to go after human traffickers to either stop them or save someone. What we got was good, I just wish it was a bit less formulaic.

In conclusion, The Accountant 2 excels in character work (especially from the addicting chemistry of its leads) and makes the best of its formulaic premise. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.