An offbeat espionage thriller franchise gets a full buddy comedy treatment in the tax season extension surprise sure to please action fans. Gavin O’Connor ups the ante from its predecessor for an epic sequel, The Accountant 2 (A-), by maximizing the intrigue and world building of his protagonist Christian Wolff’s (Ben Affleck, never better) savant status as an advantage in all aspects of his life and pairing this idiosyncratic character primarily with his lethal bad boy brother Brax (the absolutely fantastic John Bernthal). This time the stakes are higher and involve timely topics such as human trafficking. The film starts with some extremely larger than life environments showcasing cunning and comedy – namely a bingo parlor turned bloodbath and a romance convention augmented by algorithms. Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina, played again with aplomb by Cynthia Addai-Robinson, is a convener of the odd couple siblings to get to the heart of a murder mystery, and Daniella Pineda is dynamite as a ruthless assassin. O’Connor wields both humor and high-stakes action with tremendous dexterity in this installment; and although the film loses a little momentum in the final act, it’s so successful in luring audiences to care deeply about the characters amidst the stunts and grandstanding. Giddy moments include manipulation of traffic lights and home computers and even honkeytonk dance floors in this raucous romp with unexpected heart and verve. It’s much more gripping and fun than anyone could have anticipated. 

Also: check out my 60-second video movie review at FilmThirst on TikTok.