Following his tumultuous divorce from ex-flame Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck is back on the big screen in the action thriller film, The Accountant 2. Sequel to the 2016 film, The Accountant 2 has Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson and J.K. Simmons reprise their roles from the first film as Gavin O’Connor returns to the directing chair once again.
Having just had its premiere at the south by Southwest Festival on March 8, the film has been receiving a range of varied reviews from critics, but most would agree that the film is a true piece of art as Affleck and Bernthal dazzle the audience with their unusual bromance.
Ben Affleck returns to acting post-divorce with Jennifer Lopez
![Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in The Greatest Love Story Never Told [Credit Prime Video]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/12130447/Ben-Affleck-and-Jennifer-Lopez-in-The-Greatest-Love-Story-Never-Told-Credit-Prime-Video.jpg "\"Things Ben does on screen you've never seen before\": Ben Affleck's 1st Big Success After Jennifer Lopez Divorce With The Accountant 2 8")
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez had rekindled their romance in 2021 and married soon after. But just as internet trolls and paparazzi had predicted, it didn’t take them too long to go their separate ways. Lopez was the one who filed for divorce last year, and just 20 weeks later, in January 2025, the couple was officially divorced (via PEOPLE).
After their divorce, Affleck has returned to the world of acting in the action thriller flick The Accountant 2. Written by Bill Dubuque and directed by Gavin O’Connor, the former DC star reprises his role of Christian Wolff, aka The Accountant, who is autistic and launders money for some of the world’s most dangerous criminals.
In the second film, he is forced to investigate the suspicious murder of a former acquaintance and recruits help from his brother, Jon Bernthal‘s Braxton, who is a killer-for-hire. As they uncover a deadly conspiracy, the film showcases the two central characters’ brotherhood as they showcase their impeccable action skills in high-octane circumstances.
Ben Affleck’s The Accountant 2 debuts with good critical reviews
Ahead of its release in theatres in April, The Accountant 2 premiered at the South by Southwest Festival on March 8, 2025. Upon its premiere, the film received largely positive reviews from critics and movie buffs.
While the Countdown City Geeks praised Ben Affleck’s acting talent, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye remarks that despite the convoluted storyline, the film is an entertaining watch because of Affleck and Bernthal’s easy chemistry and both actors’ abilities to root the seemingly surface-level arguments in their characters’ psychic traumas and the intense action in the film.
The Guardian‘s Adrian Horton, who gave the sequel 3 out of 5 stars, links Affleck’s character with that of a superhero, states that the film is an even more convoluted, impenetrable, outlandish spectacle of male hyper-competence than its predecessor, doubling down on what one might call divorced dad camp. However, she states that it is more fun that the first film and the fun kind of stupid, the kind that draws loud cheers from a crowd at a SXSW premiere and gets people streaming on the couch.
Meanwhile, Collider‘s Nate Richard praised Affleck’s acting chops and his chemistry with co-star Bernthal. Although he reckons the film feels a bit directionless in the first act, the film ‘one-ups’ everything in the first film, from adrenalin-packed action to how it deals with autism. Screen Daily‘s Tim Grierson calls the film an efficient yet uneven sequel that smartly leans into the absurdity, making this second chapter a more pleasurable ride without succumbing to self-parody.
IndieWire‘s Christian Zilko, furthermore, reckons that if there’s one thing “The Accountant 2” deserves credit for, it’s figuring out that an autistic Ben Affleck is simply not enough to carry an action movie on his own. Praising Jon Bernthal’s chemistry with Affleck’s character, Zilko states that the sequel is a good watch because of its sense of humor and heart. Given the largely positive reviews the film has been receiving, it seems Ben Affleck has scored a winning hit with a sequel that nobody really asked for.
The Accountant 2 will hit theaters on April 25, 2025.
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