‘The Accountant 2’ review: A movie that should have just been a Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal road-trip film

The Accountant 2 is a sequel that maybe didn’t need to happen but if it gives us the road trip movie I didn’t know I dreamt of, so be it.

The Ben Affleck-led film continues the story of Chris Wolff, a man who is more inclined to think about numbers than those around him But he also has the ability to fight and does it well. That’s…what you need to know about him when it comes to the sequel. He is enlisted by a federal agent (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to help her solve a case after Ray (J.K. Simmons) is murdered.

When he realizes that he needs the expertise of his brother, Chris calls Braxton (Jon Bernthal) to join their quest for answers. Ray was investigating what they believe is a human trafficking ring and they all three must figure out who knows the man in charge. Now that we’ve got the basic plot of this movie down, let’s talk about the only part I was obsessed with.

I didn’t find The Accountant 2 to be a bad movie but I think there was a lot it was trying to do and with a later slot at SXSW, it felt like it dragged throughout most of the screening. The big “twist” was something I figured out quickly and so when a few people “gasped” at the reveal, I felt like I missed something.

But what makes The Accountant 2 a worthwhile movie is fully the chemistry between Bernthal and Affleck.

You don’t have to like your family but you can have great chemistry

The movie almost comes to life the minute that Brax appears back in Chris’ life. The two reconnect, share their love with each other (albeit awkwardly), and Brax even encourages his brother to go and line dance while out at a bar. Their relationship really does end up being the heart and soul of the film because we’re watching two brothers reconnect.

Whenever we leave Chris and Brax’s road trip or when it cuts away from them sharing a bed in Chris’ trailer, I wanted to go back. Truly it made me feel like I only cared about what these two brothers were doing and what they were up to.

So maybe what I really want is a road trip movie with these two. Or just a buddy cop movie. But without Chris and Brax’s relationship, The Accountant 2 would feel like a lukewarm sequel that didn’t need to happen. Luckily, we have Bernthal and his iconic grunting fighting style to keep us invested throughout the slightly bloated runtime.