1 week Ago By N/A (Philip Cu Unjieng)
So if the idea of a Rain Man and John Wick mash-up appeals to you, this film has you in mind, and you’ll love it. Here’s one tried and tested formula for 2025 box office success - you create a sequel for an action film that was a top grosser in 2016, and was hailed as the top rented film of 2017. Bring back the director and the writer, and keep most of the original cast intact.
It’s like, how can you fail, right? This weekend will prove if that formula still works, as The Accountant 2 hits cinema screens worldwide. The first iteration grossed $155 million globally, and once again, we have Gavin O’Connor directing, from an original screenplay by Bill Dubuque. With the exception of Anna Kendrick, the first film's cast is brought back, with the addition of Daniella Pineda as a new main character, Anais.
So that means we have Ben Affleck as the title character Christian Wolff, and his brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), Treasury agent, now Director, Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai- Robinson), her former Treasury boss, Raymond King (JK Simmons), and a bunch of bad guys, and a number of very bad guys. It's shades of Rain Man meets John Wick, with elements of Mexican border wars thrown in for topicality. In the first film, Christian was your anti-hero working with the baddies, laundering their ill-gotten gains; in this film, that aspect of his ‘day job’ is not emphasized, so he becomes less of an accessory to crime.
I would venture to guess it’s all part of the ‘spring cleaning’ being done in preparation for the final and third installment promised. Just hoping it won’t take nine years to see Part III. At its core, the charm and appeal of The Accountant have been the persona of Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) and the dynamics between him and his sociopathic brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal).
A social incompetent who takes everything literally but has idiot savant powers, Christian was the key to why this action film had a truly unique protagonist. That equity is continued and enhanced here, providing a lot of the irony and gruff humor that works like magic with the Accountant audience. And believe me, there are many of them out there.
When I simply posted the film collateral before the advanced screening I got to catch, I immediately received reactions of thumbs up and how they loved the first film and were excited to read my responses to this second installment. If anything, that augurs well for this film's high interest among millennials and action fans. The two dysfunctional brothers' constant bickering and hurt feelings are the other sure shots of audience approval.
These were the moments when the audience I watched would react most favorably to the film. I found it even predictable that after ‘X’ minutes of the two sharing screen time, you had to insert a quip or eye roll to keep the audience engaged—but I can’t argue about how well it works. So if the idea of a Rain Man and John Wick mash-up appeals to you, this film has you in mind, and you’ll love it.
If you insist on credibility, airtight plot twists, and logical narratives, this one may leave you wishing there was more. But it is more fun than the first outing, and should find its audience. With Part III, the further adventures of Christian and Brax are on their way!.
