The Accountant 2 effectively builds upon the story that was established in the original movie by introducing new characters, new locations, and whole new conspiracies for Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) and his newly reunited brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) to solve. The Accountant 2‘s new cast especially elevates the franchise (despite the lack of Anna Kendrick’s fan-favorite Dana Cummings), raising the stakes and finally giving Wolff a worthy adversary in Daniella Pineda’s Anais.
Although very few people were expecting this long-awaited sequel to actually outshine the first movie, The Accountant 2 opened to very strong reviews, with many critics calling it an obvious improvement on the already-beloved predecessor. There are several reasons for this, but there’s one factor to The Accountant 2 that shines brighter and more obviously than others.
Ben Affleck & Jon Bernthal’s Dynamic Is The Best Part Of The Accountant 2
The Actors Have Brilliant On-Screen Chemistry
The question of whether The Accountant 2 is better than the original ultimately comes down to one thing: the chemistry between Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal. While the first movie keeps this dynamic duo apart, pitting them against each other from the shadows, the sequel fully leans into their fraternal charm and transforms itself into a buddy-cop movie powered by these two action stars.
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They’re undoubtedly the best part of The Accountant 2 — the pair make each other so much funnier by association, but they can also deliver on the emotional beats. Moments like Christian’s line-dancing scene and the final assault in Juarez are made so much more compelling because of their rapport, whereas the original The Accountant struggles to build the same momentum by keeping them apart.
The Accountant 3 Is Perfectly Positioned To Have Even More Of Affleck & Bernthal Together
The Brothers Can Finally Be Friends In The Accountant 3
One thing The Accountant 2 understands very well is that a sequel can’t have the exact same character dynamics as its predecessor, or it risks feeling too repetitive and familiar. Bringing Christian and Braxton together was a perfect way of making the sequel’s tone distinct from the original, but there also needs to be a similar shift for the third movie. Thankfully, The Accountant 2‘s ending sets this up perfectly by teasing a closer and more friendly relationship between the brothers.
There are several major conflicts, but the final scene proves that Christian is willing to be on the same page as his brother and make up for the many years they’ve spent apart.
The Accountant 2 spends much of its runtime exploring how Christian’s neurodivergence and unreliable nature, in combination with Braxton’s selfishness and need for approval, often cause conflict between the brothers. There are several major conflicts, but the final scene proves that Christian is willing to be on the same page as his brother and make up for the many years they’ve spent apart. This means their dynamic in The Accountant 3 should be different once again, and hopefully even more fraternal than before.
The Accountant 3 Leaning More Into Affleck & Bernthal’s Chemistry Can Elevate The Sequel
The Film Can Rely More Heavily On Its Sense Of Humor
There’s no reason to believe that The Accountant 3 will struggle with its story, since the most recent movie did an excellent job of building a compelling mystery and introducing new, complex characters, but this brotherly dynamic almost feels like a cheat code to make the movie entertaining regardless of the plot. Affleck and Bernthal can elevate The Accountant 3 way beyond the story itself just by sharing the screen together.
Christian making an effort to bond with his brother at the end of The Accountant 2 is a hugely encouraging sign that the next movie has its priorities straight. It proves that the writers understand just how compelling this relationship is while teasing a more friendly role for these characters in the future. It will be interesting to see how this newfound friendship impacts Affleck and Bernthal’s on-screen dynamic, but it’s sure to be just as enjoyable.
7/10
- Release Date
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April 25, 2025
- Runtime
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124 minutes
- Director
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Gavin O’Connor
- Writers
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Bill Dubuque
- Producers
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Ben Affleck, Kevin Halloran, Matt Damon, Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell Taylor, Scott LaStaiti, Michael Joe, Mark Williams, Alison Winter
