“The Accountant 2” Review – Affleck and Bernthal’s Sibling Chemistry Helps But Can’t Overcome Flaws

“The Accountant 2” evokes’ 80s buddy action movies, featuring Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal displaying fantastic chemistry as polar opposites. The duo carry the film successfully when they’re able to bounce off each other, despite flaws elsewhere in the film. Struggling to blend action with a sibling dynamic and revealing a weak villain, undermines the overall momentum. While the film works when centred around the brotherly dynamic, it stumbles on everything else. Despite these gaps, the performance of the leading duo shines, painting a clear picture of a love-hate relationship unique to sibling dynamics.

– “The Accountant 2” is a film that revolves around characters played by Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal, who have a great chemistry playing polar opposites, but the film suffers from poorly defined characters and stakes, and a lack of engaging villain or mystery.
– A crucial thread in the story features Treasury agent, Marybeth Medina, hunting down Christian Wolff, played by Affleck, based on a dying clue given by Raymond King, but the unraveling of this mystery lacks momentum and the accompanying action scenes do not compensate for this weakness.
– While the film somewhat succeeds as a tale about two very different brothers, it falls short when it comes to blending this with the human trafficking action film aspect, leading to a lackluster culmination.

“The Accountant 2” successfully captures the essence of classic ’80s buddy action films. With Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal at the helm, playing opposing characters who navigate a complex sibling relationship, the duo mesmerizes with their on-screen chemistry. Although they shine together, especially in a standout rooftop scene, the film struggles when it strays from this dynamic.

Plot-wise, “The Accountant 2” presents an intriguing premise, following the aftermath of the original film. Raymond King, portrayed by J.K. Simmons, leaves a career at FinCEN to pursue P.I. work investigating a mysterious family disappearance. The trail leads to perilous places, cryptic characters, and a possibly fatal encounter with a sniper. However, before dying, he leaves a clue for Treasury agent Marybeth Medina(Cynthia Addai-Robinson): “Find the accountant.”

This sets motion to the events that ultimately reunite the treasury agent with Christian Wolff (Affleck), the accountant. Christian, possessing an uncanny ability to piece together obscure evidence, uncovers a disappointing plot that fails to meet expectations set by generally riveting premises. Bill Dubuque’s narrative crumbles as there are insufficient character and stakes development. Instead, controversial topics like human trafficking and immigration are mishandled, detracting from an already elusive villain/noteworthy mystery.

Once Christian, Braxton (Bernthal), and Medina unite, their journey feels plot-light, deprived of authentic surprises or intrigue. While some action films thrive amid simplicity, director Gavin O’Connor’s scarcity of thrilling sequences or a vibrant plot fails to hold the audience’s interest. The film regularly revisits Harbor Neuroscience, where Christian trains an ingenious team of hackers that ironically add comedic relief amidst the film’s darker moments.

Even while the film struggles with pacing and an unclear narrative, it is worth mentioning that its dynamic portrayal of sibling relationships is its standout feature. However, that alone cannot save it from becoming a confusing blend of comedy and grave subject matter. This leaves much of the plot seeming unbelievable and makes it a task too complex even for The Accountant.

RATING: 2 out of 5 stars.

The film debuted at the SXSW Film Festival and releases on April 25th.