The Top 10 Best Movie Accountants

June 15, 2020September 16, 2020 Patrick Sessoms accountants, Ben Affleck, Ben Kingsly, bounty hunter, Charles Grodin, Charles Martin Smith, Cher, cops, Danny Glover, Gene Wilder, IRS, money, prison, Rick Moranis, Tim Robbins, Will Ferrell, World War 2

5. Oscar Wallace- The Untouchables

What’s the most feared government agency in the United States? The FBI? DEA? CIA? No, it’s the IRS. Don’t believe me? Just ask Al Capone what the IRS is capable of. The next character on this list of movie accountants is based on a real-life number cruncher who helped take down one of the biggest gangsters in the history of America. During prohibition, Capone ruled the underworld as he cornered the market on hooch. Dumb as he might have been in real life, Capone was gifted when it came to making sure there was no evidence to connect him to his crimes. Try as they might, not even a special task force was able to take him down. Instead, lowly dweeb Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) discovered the gangster’s Achilles heel while his co-workers were off trading bullets with Capone’s goons. In the end, taxes sent Capone to prison. You might be able to get away with murder, but you’ll never get away with cheating Uncle Sam out of a few nickels and dimes.

4. Itzhak Stern- Schindler’s List

Schindler’s right hand man really stuck it to the Nazis.

The next entry on this list of movie accountants is a bit of a stretch, but hear me out. While Liam Neeson’s Oskar Schindler might be a star of the World War II film Schindler’s List, there’s little doubt that he could have accomplished all that he did without the help of Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsly). Stern was a Jewish man rounded up by the Nazis. Before he could be shipped off, Oscar Schindler “staked a claim” to him, insisting that the businessman would be an invaluable asset to the work he was doing for Germany. Stern handles all the administration work for Schindler as the two set out to save as many Jews as they can, hiring them as cheap labor to keep them out of the camps. While the Nazis simply thought Stern was just Schindler’s accountant, he helped to save thousands of Jews from death earning him a respectable spot on this list.

3. Christian Wolff- The Accountant

Just as deadly as Jason Bourne and twice as good at math.

Ben Affleck’s Christian Wolff is probably the most deadly character on this list of movie accountants. Born with a high functioning form of autism, Christian went through a brutal time as a child at the hands of his military father. Thinking that Christian should overcome the hardships of his condition, he sets him and his brother down a path of training to beat it out of him. Years later, Christian emerges as the most lethal CPA on the planet. Obsessed with forensic accounting, he’s helped uncover fraud at major companies, dismantled terrorist organizations, and helped crime lords stay in power. This leads to Christian having a long list of dangerous and powerful men who want him dead. Luckily, “dear old dad” beat some useful tactical skills into his boy, and Christian is more than capable of taking care of himself.

2. Louis Tully- Ghostbusters

Someone has to do the Ghostbusters’ expense reports.

While the Ghostbusters might have been good busting, well, ghosts, they weren’t the savviest businessmen. Good thing they ended up recruiting the next character on this list of movie accountants, Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). When we first meet Louis, he’s just your average nerdy, New York accountant. At least he is until he’s possessed by Vinz Clortho, the Keymaster of Gozer. Luckily, the Ghostbusters save him, and the next time we see Louis he’s working as the supernatural exterminator’s accountant. As I said, the Ghostbusters aren’t the best businessmen, and poor Louis struggles to keep them in the black. When New York is hit by a second major paranormal attack, Louis pushes aside his pocket protector and straps on a proton pack of his own. Despite being a relatively minor character, Louis makes quite an impression in one of the best horror comedies of all time.

1. Andy Dufresne- The Shawshank Redemption

Life is pretty good for accountants, even in prison.

They say prison is full of innocent men. Case and point is the top dawg on this list of movie accountants, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins). Sent to the infamous Shawshank prison for supposedly killing his wife, Andy tries to keep his head down and not draw any attention to himself. That is until he sees an opportunity to show off his ability with numbers by helping a sadistic guard with a tax loophole in exchange for beers for him and his buddies. Dufresne’s skills end up earning him the favor of the Warden who gives him special privileges in order to cook the books for the prison. Of course, he jumps on the opportunity but actually uses it to help plan his escape from Shawshank. Leave it to Stephen King to make an accountant seem like an interesting guy. Thanks to his twisted sensibilities, Andy Dufresne earns a top spot among his fellow movie accountants.

Honorable Mention: Allen Gamble- The Other Guys

It was tough not giving Allen Gamble an official spot on this list of movie accountants, especially given that he and his partner, Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) are such “great” cops. However, with Ferrell already earning a spot on here and Oscar Wallace already covering the law enforcement angle, Gamble just didn’t feel like a solid fit. Still, I want to give the guy a shout out for still being one of the most memorable movie accountants I’ve ever seen.

There you have it, the best movie accountants ever to grace the silver screen. I’m sure there are a ton of other ones out there, and if you feel like I missed one of the greats be sure to leave me a comment below. I’ll be updating this list as more movie accountants make their theatrical debut. So, be sure to check back from time to time to see how the rankings might change.

Pages: 1 2