The Accountant 2 movie review: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal starrer is an oddball bromance dressed up as a thriller

Indian Express

a day ago

Every once in a while, Hollywood returns to a property that probably didn't need a sequel but gets one anyway because, well, why not? The Accountant 2 is one such. The 2016 original was a strange cocktail: part crime thriller, part character study of an autistic accountant with a very particular set of skills, and part action film where mathematics and murder intersected in ways viewers didn't expect. It wasn't perfect, but it had its moments. This time around, director Gavin O'Connor leans even more into the bizarre tone, producing a film that is alarmingly weird, occasionally funny, frequently entertaining, and almost entirely pointless.
The Accountant 2 doesn't pretend to have a burning narrative reason to exist. The plot, if you can call it that, is a loose collection of events strung together by a single thread. Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) returns, this time embroiled in a vague murder mystery that somehow snowballs into a conspiracy involving human trafficking, corruption, and some good old-fashioned beatdowns. It sounds compelling on paper, but only until you realise that none of it really matters. The plot isn't so much driven as it is dragged along by the need to give Christian and his estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) something to do between action scenes.
Unlike the first film, which, for all its quirks, had a coherent through-line of trauma, intelligence, and moral ambiguity, this sequel feels like it was reverse-engineered from a few cool action beats and brotherly banter. The rest is filler. The highlight of the film, by far, is the chemistry between Affleck and Bernthal. Their brotherly banter, punches – verbal and physical – and occasional heartfelt moments elevate the film from a forgettable thriller to mildly memorable buddy movie. Every time Affleck's cold, emotionally-muted Christian clashes with Bernthal's boisterous, impulsive Braxton, you find yourself hooting and chuckling. It's the kind of dynamic that feels like it belongs more in a Shane Black film (a la The Nice Guys or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) than in a tense thriller about accounting and assassination.
Every time the story begins to build a sense of dread or tension, it gets sidetracked by a sudden joke or an oddly wholesome exchange. This derails the mood, like finding a TikTok dance break in the middle of Prisoners. You might find yourself laughing at moments you were never meant to. And that's the strange magic of this sequel – it wants to be serious, but it's so caught up in entertaining you, it forgets to tell a story that goes anywhere.
To its credit, The Accountant 2 still knows how to stage a fight. The action is clean, crisp, and competently executed. If you came purely for Affleck breaking arms with dead-eyed precision, you won't leave disappointed. But even the action lacks a sense of urgency. It feels like it's happening because the movie feels obligated to keep the energy up – not because the stakes demand it.
The first Accountant toyed with the idea of neurodivergence and weaponised intelligence, and while it wasn't a flawless representation, it offered something unique. This time, Christian's condition feels more like a plot device than a character trait. There's no real development, no emotional evolution – just another excuse for Affleck to monologue about prime numbers in between interactions.
If this film were a spreadsheet, it would be labelled 'Sequel: Just Because.' It's better than the first in terms of scale and some emotional beats, but that's like saying a slightly burnt toast is better than completely charred – you're still left chewing on something dry. There's no real point to this continuation. No thematic weight. No personal journey. Christian isn't grappling with anything new. The mission doesn't challenge him. Even the resolution feels perfunctory, like the writers knew they had to wrap it up somewhere and figured, 'eh, this'll do.'
It's not bad enough to hate. It's just not good enough to matter.
Is The Accountant 2 enjoyable? Yes, in the way a lazy Sunday watch on Prime Video is enjoyable. You'll chuckle at some lines, nod at some action sequences, and forget most of it by dinner. It's a perfectly fine distraction — a popcorn entertainer that occasionally mistakes quirk for quality.
But special? No. Thought-provoking? Hardly. Necessary? Not even remotely.
In a world where action-thrillers are sharpening their edges, this feels like something from a different time, when simply putting a gun in the hands of a famous actor was enough to justify a movie. Maybe in 2010, this would've wowed. In 2025, it feels quaint. And yet, despite all that, I wouldn't mind seeing these brothers again. Maybe in a better script. Or a completely different genre. Something where their accidental comedy is the point, not the detour.
The Accountant 2
The Accountant 2 Cast – Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, J.K. Simmons, Allison Robertson
The Accountant 2 Director – Gavin O'Connor
The Accountant 2 Rating – 2.5/5