Of all the action movies released in recent years, The Accountant stands out as an underappreciated gem. The film follows a morally corrupt financial expert whose criminal web is finally exposed by the FBI, forcing him to throw them off the scent by taking a legitimate client whose problems turn out to be much more serious than he’d initially expected. The film is an excellent example of how basic thrillers can gradually and methodically evolve into fast-paced action spectacles, with The Accountant’s ending reaching heights that audiences would never expect from the first act.
Although The Accountant was met with mixed reviews upon its release in 2016, the film has become somewhat of an underrated classic in recent years as audiences have revisited the project and realized just how well it holds up. Much of this is because studios simply aren’t making mid-budget thrillers anymore, and The Accountant feels like one of the most recent examples of this genre thriving. Thankfully, The Accountant 2 will bring back these familiar characters for a whole new adventure in 2025, making this the perfect opportunity to catch up on the first movie.
The Accountant Didn’t Get Enough Love When It Came Out
The Film Does An Excellent Job Blending Drama And Action
Affleck’s The Accountant is rarely considered among the best action movies of the 2010s, but it certainly deserves to be. The film is such an intricate combination of drama, action, politics, and conspiracy that most thrillers haven’t been able to manage, blending all these genres together without letting any particular one take dominance. Very few action movies manage to suck the audience in with as compelling a story as The Accountant, which almost lulls the viewer into a false sense of security with its surface-level narrative, before revealing the truth of the film and kicking the storytelling into gear.
The Accountant is a disarmingly captivating film that’s fueled by Ben Affleck’s lead performance and the slick direction from Gavin O’Connor – but surprisingly, it wasn’t that well-received upon release. The film still only has 53% on Rotten Tomatoes and barely pulled in $155 worldwide, which is pretty underwhelming for a film with such obvious star power and marketability (via Box Office Mojo). Thankfully, the announcement of The Accountant 2 has spurred many audiences to go back and reevaluate this underrated gem.
Why The Accountant 2 Took So Long To Happen
The Film Has Been In Development For Years
The reason why The Account 2 took so long to get out of development hell is a very complicated one, but it ultimately boils down to conflicts between filmmaker Gavin O’Connor and the Warner Bros team. There’s been a clear shift in the years since The Accountant’s release towards a more “blockbuster” style of filmmaking that prioritizes franchises over standalone thrillers like this, so it took some serious convincing for O’Connor to get this sequel off the ground. Thankfully, Warner Bros. has put their faith in this series.
The Accountant
- Created by
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Bill Dubuque
- First Film
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The Accountant
- Latest Film
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The Accountant
- Upcoming Films
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The Accountant 2
- Cast
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Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Jeffrey Tambor, John Lithgow
Summary
The Accountant franchise is an action-thriller series revolving around Christian Wolff, an autistic accountant with ᴅᴇᴀᴅly combat skills, who uncovers financial corruption while confronting his past. The first film, The Accountant (2016), was a box office success, leading to a confirmed sequel set for 2025.
