#REVIEW: “THE ACCOUNTANT 2”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

When I first saw 2016’s The Accountant, I didn’t remember having strong feelings for the Movie. One way or another, and when the Sequel got announced I sort of questioned why. It didn’t receive any high praise or love, and it didn’t receive vitriol neither, so a sequel nine years later was unexpected.  But thanks to Screenwriter Bill Dubuque (Ozark) this latest installment makes several improvements on its predecessor. The Accountant 2  is an absolute adrenaline-filled blast that is balanced brilliantly with Jon Bernthal’s extended presence.

As we know from the first movie, Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a no-nonsense Accountant who works for the scum of the underworld and tries to nail the worst of the worst by tipping off government agencies for their tax handlings and let them get taken down. Things go south quickly when Ray King (J.K Simmons) gets taken out unexpectedly.  Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) takes over his role and works with Wolff to try and find King’s killer and investigate the case he was currently investigating as a retiree. King’s final investigation was finding out where Alberto (Yael Ocasio) and his parents vanished to, but while investigating what happened to King, they find a mystery woman who ends up being identified as Anais (Daniella Pineda), one of the most dangerous hired guns out there. Wolff calls in his brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) for some extra help with their mission. Can Woll, Braxton, and Medina find out what happened to King and hopefully find Alberto’s family? All these questions and more get answered in the wildly-entertaining The Accountant 2.

While we started this review off by stating we didn’t think The Accountant was particularly memorable. What Dubuque and returning Director Gavin O’Connor manage to pull off this go, is nothing short of shocking. The Accountant 2 is a hilarious, action-packed and poignant story of redemption. Uncovering the mystery is going to delight audiences. It is so much better than expected and anticipated and it is helped by the capacity of the Cast.

Bernthal and Affleck manage to replicate that magical chemistry that the latter shares with longtime collaborator Matt Damon typically, but it works so much better in this setting. They’re brothers – they don’t really get along, they butt heads. But at the end of the day, their family and they help each other out even if they get under each others skin. Addai-Robinson is also the by-the-book suit who balances out the chaotic energy that is brought from her Co-stars. The juxtapisition of morale compasses keeps things interesting and delivers an entertaining, over-the-top, Action-Thriller that will delight audiences and turn people into fans of these characters – even if they didn’t love the first movie.

The Accountant 2 is what The Accountant should have been – waiting nine years to make the Sequel may have solved the issue for the audience and the creatives. Creating Ozark for Dubuque has allowed him to refine his craft for storytelling, and Affleck tuned-into the character more, with the addition of fleshing-out of Bernthal’s character more.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release THE ACCOUNTANT 2 in theatres on Friday, April 28, 2025.