It took nearly a decade for these two crazy guys to fight with each other and everybody else again. But this film exceeded our expectations. Writer Bill Dubuque and Director Gavin O’Connor are back creating comedy, chemistry and action between long lost brothers Christian Wolff and Brax played by Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal. They both have a penchant for finding, then creating more trouble. Christian does so with his mind, and with Brax, with even more violence.
Ben Affleck reprises his role as Christian Wolff, the soft-spoken savant and lethal numbers cruncher who gets involved, this time stopping criminals. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they become targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried about a disgusting criminal enterprise.
Chris is so straight and subdued until Brax comes on the scene, able to irritate his brother no end without even trying. It’s a real love/hate relationship and you wonder why they got back together at all. But when Chris called Brax for help, he came. There is a lot of repartee between the two which Director Gavin reportedly went over hundreds of times with the actors so they would keep to the script, and it works.
Bernthal is funny, even when he’s in a scene alone just talking to himself. He knows he can’t really reason with Chris and is abrupt with him when he needs to be. Brax is more violent, even thought they both have their moments. Their interaction is the best part of the movie.
The scene that humanizes Chris best is when the brothers are in a Country Western bar and he tries to get close to an attractive woman by joining her line dancing for the very first time. It is a natural for an accountant on the spectrum who recognizes counting steps in a pattern so easy to join right in. It may be the first time Chris genuinely smiles. Not one, but two women, were brought to the set to teach Affleck how to do his very first rodeo line dance. He actually does a great job, looking as though he really enjoyed it.
There are so many machinations with groups of bad guys moving around various locations. It’s sometimes hard to follow along with a lot of bloody fist and gun fights with bodies flying everywhere. But not just for the guys. The women get into it, big time, too, with an extra violent twist or two. When Deputy Director Marybeth Medina meets up with bad ass blond and master assassin, Anaïs (Daniella Pineda), neither female holds back in their own down and dirty action scenes.
But, of course, they can’t out do the guys. The biggest action scene of the film with the brothers and scores of bad guys is drawn out way too long with smoke, tons of guns and fury and an emotional tug at the end.
There’s already talk of a 3rd film that could bring Anna Kendrick back from her being in the first film. Affleck and Bernthal obviously had a good time playing off of and picking on each other, fighting everyone who got in their way. Despite the convoluted plot, we think their rapport could add up to one more well-calculated and fun cinematic match.
Amazon MGM Studios/Warner Bros. 2 hours 4 minutes R
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