Tightly wound (and rather deadly) accountant Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) and his alpha-male brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) do all the heavy lifting and provide the film with its best moments. They fight like only brothers can and then kick butt like only cinematic bad boys can and it’s a blast to behold.

Their slowly developing relationship provides a few touching moments and their general way with each other is played mostly for laughs. A lot of the gags hit the mark. The story as it is revolves around a missing child. The context of that situation and the details add a bit of interest but its finer points are murky at best.

This lack of a scintillating storyline matters little when there are so many humorous moments to stitch things together. The pace is fast and there is very little downtime. The Accountant 2 sees the filmmakers lean heavily into the comic realm and it’s a successful strategy.
Rob Hudson
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The Accountant 2, the sequel to the 2016 hit The Accountant, reunites director Gavin O’Connor, screenwriter Bill Dubuque, producers Lynette Howell Taylor and Mark Williams, and stars Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson and J.K. Simmons. The film also stars Daniella Pineda and Allison Robertson.

Affleck is also a producer on The Accountant 2. O’Connor, Scott LaStaiti, Jamie Patricof, Matt Damon, Michael Joe, Kevin Halloran, Dani Bernfeld and Alison Winter served as executive producers.

Behind the camera, O’Connor collaborated with director of photography Seamus McGarvey, production designer Jade Healy, editor Richard Pearson, and costume designer Isis Mussenden. The music is by Bryce Dessner.

Amazon MGM Studios presents an Artists Equity Production, a 51 Entertainment/Zero Gravity Management Production, a Film Tribe Production, a Gavin O’Connor Film, The Accountant 2. The film will be distributed internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures beginning 23 April 2025.

Tha Accountant 2 is coming to cinemas April 24!
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It has been said that if you remember anything about the seventies, you weren’t actually there but as a teenager staring at the television set with disbelief as the original live broadcast burned itself into my brain cells, the memories are still vivid. The characters that made up the cast had such strong on-screen personalities and the comic routines were so outrageous for their time. The moral pendulum that swings in both directions time after time was actually being influenced by a TV show.

The film which presents a behind-the-scenes look at the total pandemonium that took place before that first episode was broadcast (live of course) has a kinetic energy that is infectious to the extreme. The viewing will be helped of course by some previous knowledge of the crazies involved but even with no prior awareness, the lines are comically drawn between good and evil. It even explains the nefarious reason why the show came into existence in the first place.

The mid-nineteen seventies were both a fertile and confusing time, with so much of the good and bad in the world on daily display via that electronic box. Restrictions on televised content were starting to be relaxed and it opened a window of opportunity to make lasting statements. Conversations that today would have extreme difficulty becoming part of a public debate. The sides are so clearly drawn today that true thought-provoking anarchy seems in short supply but it’s creative endeavours like Saturday Night Live and this film that thankfully keep the freak flag flying.
Rob Hudson
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At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever.

Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.

Full of humour, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

Starring (in order of appearance) Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons. Also rounding out the ensemble cast are Jon Batiste and Naomi McPherson.
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Competition will be drawn October 30, winners will be notified by mail.

After Santa Claus – Code Name: RED ONE – is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.

The film also stars Lucy Liu (the “Charlie’s Angels” franchise), Kiernan Shipka (“Twisters”), Bonnie Hunt (“Cheaper By the Dozen”), Kristofer Hivju (“Game of Thrones”), Nick Kroll (“Big Mouth”), Wesley Kimmel (“The Mandalorian”), and Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”).

Kasdan directs from a screenplay by Chris Morgan (the “Fast & Furious” franchise), story by Hiram Garcia (the “Jumanji” and “Fast & Furious” franchises). The film is produced by Garcia, Johnson, Dany Garcia, Morgan, Kasdan and Melvin Mar. The executive producers are Barry Waldman and Ainsley Davies.

The director’s creative team includes director of photography Dan Mindel (“Twisters,” the “Star Wars” films), production designer Bill Brzeski (the “Aquaman,” “Jumanji” and “Fast & Furious” films), editors Mark Helfrich, Steve Edwards and Tara Timpone (the “Jumanji” films), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Jerome Chen (“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Stuart Little”) and costume designer Michael Crow (“Star Trek: Picard,” “Hawkeye”). Casting is by Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera Hallman. The music is by Henry Jackman (“Jumanji: The Next Level”).

Amazon MGM Studios Present a Seven Bucks Productions, Chris Morgan Productions, Detective Agency production, A Film By Jake Kasdan, “Red One.” Distributed internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures, only in Australian cinemas beginning 7 November 2024.
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Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.

Full of humour, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

Starring (in order of appearance) Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons. Also rounding out the ensemble cast are Jon Batiste and Naomi McPherson.
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Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humour, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

Starring (in order of appearance) Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons. Also rounding out the ensemble cast are Jon Batiste and Naomi McPherson.

Saturday Night is coming to cinemas October 31!
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At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever.

Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.

Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

Starring (in order of appearance) Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons
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After Santa Claus – Code Name: RED ONE – is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel and J.K. Simmons, Red One will be coming to cinemas November 14!
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Affleck plays Christian Wolff, an autistic certified public accountant that also moonlights as an assassin. Wolff’s inability to really connect with other human beings adds a chilling reality to his actions and Affleck’s stoic portrayal feels accurate. Even the love angle is suitably underplayed.

The film’s structure mixes enough back-story to flush out Wolff’s beginnings but not so much as to rob the film of its forward momentum. It builds to a satisfying climax while never feeling forced and even succeeds with a few plot twists along the way.

Staying true to its character’s intentions while mixing in some great action scenes make for a most enjoyable cinema experience. As an added bonus the film also avoids the usual happy Hollywood ending.

Rob Hudson
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