I gave the first Accountant three stars and considered it good but flawed. I didn’t care for what Affleck was doing and the whole FBI plot could have been cut. So I wasn’t jumping up and down for a sequel but I also thought “hey, let’s see what they do this time”. Took me a few extra days to get to it, but I enjoyed it more than the first.

The Accountant 2 brings back Affleck and Jon Bernthal who had a much smaller part in the first flick. After an FBI agent is murdered, the director turns to The Accountant to help with the investigation. What does the murder have to do with a young disappeared Mexican family… and can Affleck learn to line dance?

The answer is yes… sorta. What I enjoyed so much more about this film is not just the awkward speed dating scene or the hoedown at the country/western bar but the relationship between Affleck and Bernthal. The human moments; the awkward attempts at romance and the casual bromance between these two men were a lot of fun. In fact, I preferred the casual hang of the film over the actual plot.

Part of that is due to Jon Bernthal’s casual assassin/brother performance. While I’m no Bernthal-a-holic, I’d say he’s pretty much pigeonholed as the tough guy and not much else. So it was great seeing him play a fleshed out human alongside Affleck. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play a regular guy before (even if that regular guy would shoot you without hesitation).

Affleck is another story… but that’s almost ok since he often seems like an afterthought in his own movie. Don’t get me wrong… he’s got some great moments but I don’t remember him having such a weird lispy vocal affectation in the last film. I didn’t like it this time.

The film also opens up the world of The Accountant. We saw Affleck’s girl-in-the-chair at the end of the first film, but seeing her and her team fleshed out was surprisingly charming. Plus we are introduced to a new assassin character with a great backstory (and even better hair). And suddenly between these new faces and more Bernthal, I’m looking forward to a third film… maybe even one without Affleck (though I hear Anna Kendrick might come back for a third film… in which case absolutely Affleck and Anna all over again).

I’m genuinely surprised how much I liked the sequel to a movie I was only ok with years back. Everyone rotating around Affleck is great and Affleck himself… could use some work. But more of him doing everyday things with Bernthal would be a win. I liked it!

Score: 86