Does Ben Affleck’s Crime Thriller Add Up?

Ben Affleck’s The Accountant 2 — the sequel to the 2016 original — is new in theaters. What do critics think of the new crime thriller?

The Accountant 2 is new in theaters on Friday. The official summary for The Accountant 2 reads, “Christian Wolff (Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to ‘find the accountant,’ Wolff is compelled to solve the case.

ForbesWhere To Stream Ben Affleck’s ‘The Accountant’ Before Seeing SequelBy Tim Lammers

“Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.”

The Accountant 2, which also stars J.K. Simmons and Daniella Pineda, features the return of director Gavin O’Connor from the 2016 film.

ForbesEarly ‘Thunderbolts*’ Tracking Forecasts Soft Opening At Box OfficeBy Tim Lammers

As of Thursday, The Accountant 2 has a 75% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 97 reviews. The RT Popcornmeter score voted on by verified users is still pending.

The RT Critics Consensus for the movie reads, “Improving on the original by leaning into Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal’s buddy comedy chemistry, The Accountant 2 can safely be filed under a good time at the movies.”

What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘The Accountant 2’?

Among the top critics on RT who give The Accountant 2 a “fresh” rating is Manohla Dargis of The New York Times, who writes, “All that counts in “The Accountant 2” is that it’s adroitly paced, unburdened by narrative logic and buoyed by its well-synced, charismatic leads.”

Jake Coyle of The Associated Press also gave The Accountant 2 a “fresh” rating on RT, although he has some reservations. Coyle writes on RT, “For a movie about a detail obsessive, it’s curiously messy. But — and this might matter more — the film has a reasonably firm sense of just how serious and how knowingly silly a movie about an uber-talented accountant ought to be.”

ForbesHorror Comedy ‘Clown In A Cornfield’ Gets Early Drive-In ScreeningsBy Tim Lammers

Barry Hertz of the Globe and Mail also gives The Accountant 2 a “fresh” review on RT, writing, “While the sequel is worse off for the absence of original costars Anna Kendrick, John Lithgow, Jeffrey Tambor and Jean Smart, the easy back-and-forth chemistry between [Ben] Affleck and [Jon] Bernthal as they paint the town blood-red provides certain dividends.”

Clarisse Loughrey of the U.K.’s Independent is among the top critics on RT who gives The Accountant 2 a “rotten” rating, calling it “a sequel whose only move is to amp up everything that was ridiculous about its predecessor.”

Forbes‘Until Dawn’ Reviews: Are Critics Creeped Out By Video Game Adaptation?By Tim Lammers

Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post also gives the movie a “rotten” review on RT, writing, “Despite its reliable stream of action-movie beats, The Accountant 2 is a tediously talky movie, as heavy on exposition as it is on explanation.”

Derek Smith of Slant Magazine is also a detractor of the film, writing on RT, “As The Accountant 2 drags out to over two hours, and its two storylines remain tonally at war with one another, it becomes increasingly clear that, two films in, this series still hasn’t figured out exactly what it wants to be.”

Rated R, The Accountant 2 opens in theaters nationwide on Friday.

ForbesWeekend Box Office Projections Favor ‘Sinners’ Over ‘The Accountant 2’By Tim Lammers