BERNTHAL – AFFLECK BROMANCE RUNS THE FILM
Exactly as the header of this states, The Accountant 2 takes the relationship of Christian and Brax and makes it primarily the focal point and the train tracks the entire film runs on. Feels like a common trope to have characters with stark differences that get along for a common goal, but this hits all the notes of defining the relationship, sprinkling in legitimately funny interactions and humor, believable dialogue, and still striking an emotional chord when the film wants to with the brothers relationship. First thing I want to tell people about this film is to see it because of the performances these two bring to the screen. Just everything you want in this sequel and largely will make this, like the first, a very rewatchable movie.
There are several scenes that come to mind here. The meeting at the hotel parking lot and how Christian tries to say hello awkwardly before they get to the actual business at hand, the “that’s my big brother” scene in the honkytonk (my favorite scene of the whole film), and the real conversations they have on top of Christian’s mobile home all are perfect in outlining the bromance we get to enjoy in this film. Perfect back and forth with their character’s personalities and you never stray from who they are in any of those exchanges, just use what works and let it ride. There are genuine laugh out loud moments in this film as well that involves them. Brax throwing Christian’s sunscreen had me almost spilling my popcorn. Christian proposing that Brax get a cat instead of a dog, which is an incredible foreshadowing to the cat found at the end, only to lead to the hardest I laughed in the film when Brax is mad he can’t hold his own cat on the drive home.
Gavin O’Connor saw the vision with giving us a heavy dose of Affleck and Bernthal, knowing they are two actors that audiences love and could have the interactions that everyone would be talking about after. I was shocked also the amount of casual fans that didn’t know Bernthal that well, I thought he was a household name. Still believe he is and that these people just live under a rock and need to expand because he is magnificent in everything I’ve ever seen him in.
THE APRIL 15th ACTION IS RAMPED UP AND DELIVERS
Audiences loved the violence and action of the first film and the sequel takes it to the next level. The significant action is saved for the end, but plenty to keep you excited along the way in getting to the climax of the action and film. The fighting scene between Anais and Marybeth was tense as you really thought Marybeth was done for even after trying to put up a solid fight. The little violence in the beginning with JK Simmons set the tone and the breaks between the action was really well done to help the story unfold on who Anais actually is. Which is established as a focal point in the beginning, and discussed obviously throughout, but did not expect the missing woman to be Anais after a traumatic brain injury and “savant syndrome”. Some think the plot may have been too complicated, but I think it’s very fitting to do something different and helped weave the characters and events together well to get us to the final sequence.
I know we got some information on the people calling the hits, but I wish we got a little more from them, just felt like some generic hitmen that they were chasing. I guess that was the sacrifice to help Anais’ story unfold before the reveal. Outside of that, the action in Mexico when they are rescuing the kids is top tier. Sprinkled with many one shot sequences which I’m a whore for in any action movie (like Extraction), the explosions, combat, and crossfire all were done extremely well. You had reloads that felt risky, grenades, barriers that they actually had to use and felt realistic that they needed to not get hit. Christian transforming into this assassin in these sequences still blows my mind even when expected. My favorite moment of that sequence is definitely when you think Brax is done for and about to be killed, but Christian hits the enemy with a car and tells him to hop in as they go for the kids. No brother left behind type shit. Loved it and again the violence and action felt raw and real due to how it was shot and the use of the setting at the prison in my opinion.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I think the first Accountant is a little better, but this is a great sequel that goes by its own formula and gives the fans of the first film what they will love all over again. The casting didn’t need to be loaded because you leaned so much and Affleck and Bernthal, but Daniella Pineda as Anais and Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Marybeth did great in adding to the overall story. With how successful I expect this film to be due to how many loved the first film, it’s hard not to believe they won’t run it back and round out a trilogy with The Accountant 3 eventually.
The Cinema Speakeasy Theatre Room 
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