'The Accountant 2' review: Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal kick ass in buddy comedy
Matt Damon better watch his back, because Jon Bernthal has such electric bro-y chemistry with Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2 that the Matt-and-Ben days may be firmly behind us.
Astonishingly, this sequel to Gavin O'Connor's hit 2016 action film is rip-roaringly funny, thanks to this unexpected comedy duo. Sure, Affleck and Bernthal are both reprising their respective roles as autistic accountant Christian Wolff and his mercenary brother Braxton. But the first film kept them apart for much of its runtime. In The Accountant 2 (pronounced The Accountant Squared, according to O'Connor), Christian and Braxton are thrust together in a chaotic buddy-cop mission that makes for comical clashing along with cheer-worthy fight scenes.
Props to O'Connor. The heralded helmer behind such popular sports dramas as Warrior and Miracle has made one of the most entertaining comedies 2025 is likely to deliver.
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The Accountant 2 offers a killer new enemy, a vengeance mission, and line dancing.
True to the first film, The Accountant 2 presents a confounding puzzle for Christian to solve. Eight years after the events of the first film, his friend from the Treasury Department, Raymond King (J.K. Simmons) winds up dead after meeting with a stoic assassin (a cool-as-ice Daniella Pineda). To achieve justice, Ray's protege Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) reaches out to the accountant for help, but her by-the-book ways instantly clash with his neurodivergent reasoning. Matters only get more explosive when Christian calls on his powder keg brother Braxton to join their squad.
While Pineda's mysterious assassin is on a mission of her own, the brothers bicker and battle, wringing excitement out of every fight scene and laughs out of every jibe. As established in The Accountant, Christian has a very regimented way of living in his trusty Airstream RV, relying on his ever-on-call assistant Justine (Alison Wright) for research or advice on how to dress for a speed-dating event. Where Christian is the brains, trying to outwit everything, including online dating algorithms, Braxton is brawn, fueled by impulse. But both are lonely. So The Accountant 2 — on top of all its espionage rigamarole — is about their reconnecting.
Fans of superhero movies might most relish when the former Batman and Punisher stars barrel into a high-stakes climax with many lives on the line. But anyone could be charmed by the sequence at a Los Angeles honky-tonk bar, where Braxton urges Christian to flirt back with a cute cowgirl.
Props to Affleck, who told the SXSW audience at the film's world premiere that he practiced line dancing for months to get it right. It's not just the dance moves that his intensely focused anti-hero masters, it's the expression on his face of discovery and bubbling excitement that Christian can break out of his protective shell. And just when you think this sequence can't get anymore enthralling, a fight breaks out that leads to a freeze-frame of a brawl-ready Braxton, evoking not only '80s action nostalgia but also screams of laughter from the SXSW audience.
Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal are hilarious in The Accountant sequel.
There are moments where The Accountant 2 feels unreal. I don't mean the movie's world feels false. I mean, it seems impossible that a studio sequel like this can exist.
On one hand, screenwriter Bill Dubuque smartly delivers on the expectations of a sequel to The Accountant, which he also penned. Essential is a fresh mystery for his unconventional sleuth to solve with a mix of brains and blood shed. Forgotten is the clumsy romance subplot with Anna Kendrick's law-abiding accountant, replaced by charmingly awkward bids to find a suitable romantic partner. Dubuque also leaned hard into the screen chemistry between Braxton and Christian, which only only became apparent in the first film's climax. And he did it with eccentric setups no one could have seen coming.
On paper, an action movie with Bernthal and Affleck should almost be guaranteed to be deeply serious, leaning into the brooding both mastered in their respective superhero projects. But we've been there, done that! What O'Connor and Dubuque tap into here is the comic brilliance of their famously intense leading men.
Affleck has gamely played a pompous clown in Matt Damon movies like The Last Duel, Air, and Good Will Hunting. But as Christian, he is solidly the straight man, vaguely bewildered by his brother's overwhelming emotions and flare for the dramatic. Yet Affleck weaves in self-satisfied smiles that give the audience a conspiratorial thrill as if we're all in on the same joke when Christian revels in his own cleverness.
Less known for comedy, Bernthal has nonetheless becomes a fan favorite as the mercurial older brother in The Bear. As Braxton, he brings a kinetic little brother energy to his natural machismo, making a dynamic foil to Christian's reservedness. Their conflict is sparkily funny, whether they're bickering about being a dog person versus a cat person or the best course of action for an ambush.
Within that, O'Connor masterfully chisels a story of two brothers, long estranged, who teach each other how to open themselves up to a world that has frequently been a bully to them. Dubuque gives them a map of brotherly love and rivalry, providing challenges and treasure, like a daring rescue mission and a stray cat. But Affleck and Bernthal give it dimension with each shared glare, awkward back slap, and childish retort.
That O'Connor delivered another terrifically tense thriller is no surprise. That he wove kidnapping, vengeance, action, and brotherly bonding into a wonderful feel-good movie is stunning. As was made clear at the SXSW premiere, where the audience roared with laughter and cheers throughout, The Accountant 2 is an undisputed crowdpleaser. You won't want to miss it.
The Accountant 2 debuts on Prime Video on June 5.
UPDATE: Jun. 3, 2025, 2:40 p.m. EDT "The Accountant 2" was reviewed out its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW film and television festival. This article, originally published April 25, has been updated to include the latest viewing information.
Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she's an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.
