The Accountant 2 – Film Review
Reviewed by Branden Zavaleta on the 24th of April 2025
Warner Bros Australia presents a film by Gavin O’Connor
Written by Bill Dubuque
Produced by Ben Affleck, Lynette Howell Taylor, and Mark Williams
Starring Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniella Pineda, and J. K. Simmons
Cinematography Seamus McGarvey
Edited by Richard Pearson
Music by Bryce Dessner
Rating: MA15+
Running Time: 133 minutes
Release Date: the 24th of April 2025
Terminator 2 (1991) has double the Terminators. The Godfather Part II (1974) has double the godfathers. The Accountant 2? Double the accountants. Well, not exactly, but it does have double the oddball badasses– triple if you count the new femme fatale – and following in that storied lineage of great sequels, it beats out its original by doubling what works.
If you haven’t seen the first one, you don’t need to – it’s even better if you don’t. It’s practically a reboot. The main cast all get spectacular re-introductions, and the plot moves much faster. The logline is: superstar secret accountant, detective, and all-round badass Chris Wolff (Ben Affleck) is contacted by U.S. treasury head Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to solve her ex-boss’s last case (J.K. Simmons). What made the first film fun is Chris’s complete inability to connect with people and talk naturally. He has Savant syndrome and is the answer to “what if Rain Man became James Bond?”. What makes this film better is that his brother (Jon Bernthal) – the other oddball badass – is brought in to solve the case and his noisy, ADHD nature make the two a hilarious double act.
The poster might make it look like a grey, grim action flick, but when we first see Chris again, he’s dressing up for a big event. “Don’t wear your black suit, it makes you look like a mortician”, his assistant warns – looks like it’ll be a debonair night at the casino with ol’ Blofeld across the poker table, we think. Cut to some big, bland convention center in the middle of Idaho and he’s speed dating. Thankfully, this Rain Man is Ben Affleck not Dustin Hoffman, so the women bum rush him and we find out that he’s figured out how to game the system – “date-producing keywords”– but it turns out his idea of gaming the system is telling them he lives in a trailer, has no friends, and has really good accounting advice.
His brother Braxton has a similarly silly introduction – which is even better if you go in blind– and between putting the squeeze on cartel scumbags and big-brain deduction schemes, the two are a regular comedy duo. They even share some brotherly moments picking up girls and getting into bar fights. It’s a regular bromantic comedy– think Hot Fuzz (2007).
And if you’re still looking for a by-the-books actioner, it’s got another surprise for you– it’s dark too. It’s part goofball comedy, part grimdark cartel movie – not far off Sicario (2015) or The Counselor (2013) even. Human trafficking, daylight shootings, and even a mass grave. You’re confronted with some really dark dealings throughout this underbelly uncovering – then they’re drinking beers on the deck wearing shirts that say things like “Chick Magnet” and “Awesome Sauce”. The back and forth is a little jarring– especially when you’re trying to keep the web of crime in mind but it works. Affleck plays Chris without affect, so the jokes tend to be subtle, smooth. They don’t make the serious stuff seem silly.
It’s hard to think of another movie that rides this line between charmingly wholesome and disturbingly dark – probably because it’s a truly odd mix– but somehow it pulls it off. A bromantic cartel movie. In that way it’s almost like Breaking Bad. Of course, there’s nothing that’s truly transcendent in this flick. If that doesn’t sound like your fare, you’ll want to skip it. It’s a surprisingly funny actioner, but a little dark for its own good.
Summary: The Accountant 2 is a surprisingly funny actioner, but a little dark for its own good.
3.5
Double trouble
About the Author
Branden Zavaleta Based in Perth, Branden writes on the arts for a handful of Australian outlets. He's also a street & creative portrait photographer, who's work can be found @brandenzp on Instagram.
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