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For over 25 years, gifted actor and filmmaker has proven himself to be one of the entertainment industry's most exciting and dynamic talents, having starred in and directed a slew of cinema knockouts, including Good Will Hunting, The Town, Argo, and Gone Girl. In 2016, Affleck starred alongside Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, and Jon Bernthal in the gripping action thriller , in which the Academy Award-winner portrays an autistic math savant who launders money for dangerous criminal organizations and uncovers a deadly conspiracy after taking on a legitimate client.

The rip-roaring flick was both a critical knockout and a major hit among moviegoers, with audiences loving the thriller's captivating premise, bold action sequences, and complex characters; due to its phenomenal fan reaction, a highly-buzzed sequel starring Affleck is set to premiere on April 25, 2025. Let's take a closer look at The Accountant and why it's a must-watch for fans of the explosive genre.

With an eclectic cast of Hollywood's finest led by Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, and Jon Bernthal, , operating his impressive money laundering enterprise out of an unassuming CPA office in Illinois. When Wolff agrees to take on a legitimate client, the firm Living Robotics, he stumbles upon a deadly conspiracy lurking with the help of the company's in-house accountant, Dana Cummings (Kendrick).

As Wolff gets closer and closer to exposing the salacious truth about $61 million of embezzled funds and who is behind it, bodies begin to drop one by one, and he is forced to go on the run with the terrified Dana after hitmen are sent to eliminate them both. Having been trained by his military father on how to fight and protect himself as a child, Wolff relies on his formidable marksman and combat skills to hunt down the violent enemies out to get them, only to realize his estranged brother Braxton (Bernthal) has been hired to protect the person responsible. With Treasury agents gunning for him as well, Wolff races against the clock to eliminate his mounting threats.

Academy Award-winner Ben Affleck knocked it out of the park as the stoic and capable Christian Wolff, with the prominent actor and cast learning how to perform the Indonesian martial art Pencak silat, dazzling moviegoers with its electrifying action sequences and brutal hand-to-hand combat. Affleck's dazzling physical prowess was on full display in the entertaining thriller, as he meticulously took out one adversary after another by using either bullets or blunt force, relying on his exceptional mind to stay one step ahead of his enemies and keeping audiences on their toes every step of the way.

, grossing $155.2 million against a $44 million budget and becoming a certified hit with fans, who awarded the rip-roaring flick a sensational A CinemaScore and 77% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. While many critics commended Affleck's complex performance of the gifted Christian Wolff, they nonetheless found the premise too over-the-top and its screenplay convoluted, but that didn't stop audiences from raving about the action, intriguing characters, and thoughtful storytelling, all of which helped it dominate theaters.

Due to its overwhelmingly positive fan response and stellar box office earnings, . Other cast members from the original hit returning include Bernthal, Simmons, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and the follow-up will center on Wolff and his brother Braxton as they are forced to team up in order to solve the murder of a familiar face after being sought out by Treasury agent Marybeth Medina (Addai-Robinson), putting a massive target on their back in the process; the long-awaited sequel is scheduled to be released on April 25, 2025.

that are certain to delight audiences and keep them entertained from beginning to end. Director Gavin O'Connor wants to turn Wolff and the series into a trilogy, as he already has hopes of returning for a third and final entry, one that would further explore the stormy dynamic between Wolff and his equally fierce brother Braxton. Chicago Sun-Times perfectly summed up what makes The Accountant such a hit in the eyes of viewers, writing in their glowing review:

"Madness abounds in The Accountant, an intense, intricate, darkly amusing and action-infused thriller that doesn't always add up but who cares, it's BIG FUN."