The Accountant 2 Review: Ben Affleck And Jon Bernthal's Bloody Bromance Steals The Show

News18

2 days ago

Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 06:27 IST
Gone are the angstier threads of the original film, no more brooding over lost love or paternal trauma. Instead, this time around, O'Connor and screenwriter Bill Dubuque opt for a leaner, pulpier sequel that trades introspection for high-stakes violence and borderline comic absurdity. At one point, Christian uses his algorithmic brain to conquer speed dating. At another, he saves a school bus full of kids during a cartel standoff. It's ludicrous, but also strangely effective.
Affleck, returning with a more animated, if occasionally exaggerated, portrayal of Christian, still manages to anchor the chaos with his character's inward calm. His performance this time may veer a bit too close to caricature for some, but there's still something compelling about his quiet precision amid the carnage.
The real surprise (and joy) here, though, is Jon Bernthal. Reprising his role as Christian's volatile younger brother Braxton, Bernthal gets a lot more screen time this time around, and he makes every second count. Braxton is a violent, emotionally needy hitman with a weirdly tender side, and Bernthal plays him like a punch-drunk big brother desperate for affection and validation. His scenes with Affleck, especially a quiet moment atop the Airstream where they bond like estranged siblings reunited under fire, give the film its beating heart.
Their chemistry fuels much of the film's emotional resonance, balancing out the ludicrous body count and overly complex plot. Yes, the story involves tuna-smuggling cartel villains, plastic surgery, amnesia and children being held at gunpoint, but The Accountant 2 isn't aiming for realism. It's a fever dream of genre tropes layered with surprisingly warm character beats.
Director Gavin O'Connor leans into the chaos with confidence. His action sequences including gritty, bloody, and often brutal are shot with clarity and rhythm, particularly a standout fight between Cynthia Addai-Robinson's Marybeth Medina and a stone-cold assassin played by Daniella Pineda. The violence is stylised but not cartoonish, and the pacing is tight, even if the plot logic sometimes dissolves under scrutiny.
Speaking of Marybeth, Addai-Robinson reprises her role from the first film and gets a beefier role this time. Initially acting as the audience's guide through the financial jargon and emotional gaps, she eventually becomes a capable partner in Christian's mission, both on the field and in grounding the story.
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There are also glimpses of a larger purpose at play: Christian, it turns out, has been funding a school for neurodivergent youth, a detail that, while overly sentimental, gives the character some dimension and feeds into the film's underlying empathy for its flawed protagonists.
That's ultimately what keeps The Accountant 2 from collapsing under its own nonsense. For every laughably convoluted plot turn or cheesy line of dialogue, there's a sincere moment between characters whether it's Braxton's bruised feelings, Christian's unspoken guilt or even the neurodivergent hacker kids saving the day with keyboard heroics.
It's not perfect, far from it. The depiction of autism still dances dangerously close to stereotype, and the film's moral universe remains murky at best. But for a sequel that could have easily been a cynical cash grab, The Accountant 2 manages to be surprisingly watchable, emotionally resonant and genuinely fun.