The Accountant 2

I was ready to hate The Accountant 2. The trailers made it look like just another over-the-top sequel that no one asked for-same character, louder explosions, and a plot that felt like it was pulled out of a hat.

But honestly? It surprised me.

Ben Affleck is back as Christian Wolff, and he's somehow even better this time around. The movie leans into what made the first one work-calculated action, smart pacing, and a character who's not your typical action hero. There's actually some depth here, and a bit more heart than I expected.

The story moves fast, the action scenes are tight, and there's just enough emotional weight to keep it from feeling hollow. Is it perfect? Nah. Some side characters could've used more love, and a couple twists felt a little too neat. But overall, it's a solid sequel that doesn't just cash in-it builds on what came before.

Don't let the previews fool you. The Accountant 2 is definitely worth a watch.

I really enjoyed the first 'The Accountant' so had high expectations for the follow up.

Sadly, I was very dissappointed.

The first film had some logic, it made sense, it had a story. So made the all action nonsense plausible and therefore excusable as 'artistic license.

The Accountant 2 is all action nonsense.

It makes very little sense. Very weak on story and logic i.e. Not believable for the audience to invest in it.

E.g. Why would Ray King in retirement, spend all his money 'investigating' alone and particularly for one child ?

Why would Chris (Affleck) reveal his computer help source (Justine) and her location so glibly.

It was absurd how the woman assassin was supposed to be the woman in the picture, It was also absurd how she was more like a terminator than a person.

And there are many more such issues, that prevent the story from flowing logically and therefore immersing the audience in a journey.

Instead you are repeatedly 'jolted' out, asking what? Why? When? Sort of questions, which don't have answers.

Ben Affleck is looking a bit aged and gaunt, but he and the guy who plays Braxton , played their parts compentently, but were let down by the weak script.

It does have some laughs, It's not terrible, just very mediocre, certainly nowhere near as good as the first film.

Would I watch this again ? No, it's too glib and lacks cohesion.

Yet, I have watched the first film several times and I will watch it again.

Very dissappointed and I felt this was a missed opportunity.

Not worth a full price cinema ticket.

This was the one film I wanted to see the most at SXSW and I was lucky enough to see the world premier and left more than pleased. Jon Bernthal really explodes on screen and you can feel the joy he gets from pushing his brothers buttons in the most entertaining way possible. These two have real, believable chemistry and brought something both familiar and unexpected while delivering a story that isn't the same ole buddy trope the way other films seem to struggle. Jon's comic relief blends perfectly with Ben's robotic, emotionlessness. It feels like anything can and will happen at any moment...and it does! I hope we see these two characters together again sooner than later!

Okay. "The Accountant 2" is one of the year's biggest surprises and one of 2025's best movies.

First, it's funny that it took almost the entire time Ben Affleck spent playing Batman for this sequel to come out. I thought I'd mention that. Affleck reprises Christian Wolff as if 2016 happened yesterday. Wolff is a man of ingenuity and dry wit, which Affleck emulates with gravitas.

It helps that this time, he teams up with his brother Brax, delightfully played by Jon Bernthal. Although they both play off each other incredibly well, Bernthal managed to outshine his brother pretty often. What can I say? He stole the show in the first installment and stole more of the spotlight here.

Before moving on, I should mention how I feel about the prior entry into this franchise. I liked it, but it has confusing stuff that takes me out of it. Also, I don't think Anna Kendrick's character worked for its story. Would you believe me if I said that this nine-years-later sequel has none of the issues I had with the original? I'm blown away by how well Bill Dubuque's screenplay improves and enhances this universe. Even when thinking about a potential plot hole, by the end, I remember a detail from earlier that explains it away. Nothing here perplexed or took me out of the movie, as I was always invested and intrigued. Additionally, I laughed a lot, something I don't think I could say about the original. The first didn't include much humor, but this one has many comedic elements that unexpectedly worked.

For the rest of the positives, a returning Gavin O'Connor did a solid directing job, and even though Affleck and Bernthal are the highlights, the rest of the cast performed nicely. The action was fantastic (I'd recommend seeing it in a Dolby Cinema), Seamus McGarvey's cinematography was exceptional, many outstanding scenes outside the action and comedy were present, and the 2-hour and 3-minute runtime didn't drag.

"The Accountant 2" blew me away. There was the potential for it to be superior to its predecessor, but it went beyond that by making for a wildly fun time at the movies.

Technically, the acting, directing, screenplay, and cinematography make the technical score a 10/10.

The enjoyment score: I felt the first was an 8/10, but the contrast between that and this sequel's quality is vast in the best ways possible. 10/10! It's not a years-later sequel for the sake of making one. It's a years-later sequel made to expand an immersive world richly. If you're a fan of the original, I have no doubt you'll see this follow-up, but if not, give it a chance! For my money, it's a must-watch!

Tonally extremely different to the original movie as they aim to increase the comedic moments. Very weak plot which seemed to rely on paper thin character links.

Terrible oversights with character continuity for the actual accountant. He sounded and looked different - his wardrobe was actually that of Forrest Gump and they even mentioned that as a reference at one point. He doesn't seem to be working in the same way now, and just messing about with dating algorithms for laughs now?! Even if you buy into him making 9 years of effort to integrate, it just seemed too different and ultimately fans of the first movie are coming back for more of the same so development must be within some bounds, otherwise he is just a different character.

I was really upset that they turned his "Solomon Grundy" stim/soothe into a joke and then had him use it in absolutely the wrong moment - more like a punch/tag line. His father's routine over overstimulation that dominated the original to help him cope with the world was completely absent - nothing really seemed to trigger him this time at all.

Would go so far as to say that Jon Bernthal was absolutely wasted and his character was made to look like an idiot rather than a dangerous and whimsical guy.

Agent Medina was a bit of an afterthought who got in the way. Little character development and it seemed like she was just there to remind us all how "off book" the accountant and his brother are.

Honestly this was a terrible follow up to the first movie and we came home and immediately put on the original to try and wash away the mess that was this sequel. It was such an opportunity to really do something cool with the concept, and it was absolutely wasted.