‘The Accountant 2’ Review: Ben Affleck’s Assassin Returns for a Smarter, Funnier Sequel

It’s been nearly a decade since Christian Wolff, the autistic accountant with a taste for vigilante justice, last graced the screen. Now he’s back in The Accountant 2, and while the first film balanced brooding drama with bursts of violence, the sequel mostly ditches the heavy lifting for a lighter, more chaotic ride. Director Gavin O’Connor returns, tightening the action and doubling down on the odd-couple chemistry between Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal.

The story kicks into gear with the murder of Raymond King (J.K. Simmons), who had spent the first film chasing Christian. Before his death, he scrawls a cryptic message: “Find the Accountant.” It falls to Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to reconnect with Christian and uncover the truth behind King’s assassination. What follows is a messier, bloodier hunt across criminal networks, aided by Christian’s unlikely reunion with his estranged brother, Brax (Bernthal).

Gone are the slow-burn family flashbacks and tortured love stories. This time, Christian’s quirks aren’t tragic flaws — they’re tactical weapons. Case in point: he treats a speed-dating event like it’s a black ops mission, only to crash and burn when it’s time for actual conversation. It’s a hilarious, perfectly awkward reminder that no algorithm can fix human interaction and a signal that this sequel is playing things a lot looser and a lot funnier.

While The Accountant had aspirations of being a dark character study, The Accountant 2 is unapologetically a hangout movie. Christian and Brax’s relationship, equal parts fistfights and affection, anchors the film. Their scenes together, whether awkwardly line-dancing at a dive bar or trading barbs over strategy, give the sequel a surprising heart. Bernthal’s wild energy and Affleck’s tightly-wound awkwardness make for a combination that’s hard not to root for.

The action beats are bigger, sharper, and far less grounded. Director Gavin O’Connor trades subtlety for style, kicking off with King’s brazen assassination and only ramping up from there. Highlights include an exhilarating one-on-one fight between Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Marybeth and Daniella Pineda’s mysterious assassin Anaïs. No shaky cam, no frantic cuts—just clean, bruising choreography that hits like a freight train.

The Accountant 2 manages to carve out its own space, a rough-edged, wildly fun ride that’s easy to enjoy.

The plot, such as it is, ties together human trafficking rings, international assassins, missing children, and a fish shop doubling as a crime syndicate HQ. It’s tangled, often nonsensical, but it doesn’t really matter. The film knows its strengths aren’t in the intricate storytelling but in the sheer spectacle. As Christian and Brax storm a stronghold, rifles blazing, it’s clear that The Accountant 2 is less about coherent logic and more about letting its heroes do what they do best: outthink, outfight, and outlast everyone else.

New additions to the cast mostly impress. Allison Robertson steps in as Justine, Christian’s brilliant, nonverbal hacker partner, overseeing her own team of prodigies. And while Anaïs (Pineda) initially feels underdeveloped, later scenes peel back enough layers to make her disappearance from parts of the story forgivable. Her eventual involvement hints at even crazier team-ups if a third film happens.

Ultimately, The Accountant 2 is a smarter sequel than expected. It ditches the pretensions of its predecessor and embraces the absurdity without losing sight of its characters. It’s not perfect, it’s messy in places, and occasionally stretches credibility to the breaking point. But it’s also sharply entertaining, often hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt. In a world drowning in forgettable sequels, The Accountant 2 manages to carve out its own space, a rough-edged, wildly fun ride that’s easy to enjoy and even easier to recommend.

The Accountant 2 is now playing in cinemas worldwide.

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