The Accountant (2016)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An autistic forensic accountant with martial arts training must navigate a web of corporate fraud and criminal violence.
The story
The storyline follows Christian Wolff, a certified public accountant with autism who makes his living sanitizing fraudulent financial and accounting records of criminal and terrorist organizations around the world that are experiencing internal embezzlement. He operates a small accounting office in Plainfield, Illinois, that serves as a front for his money laundering enterprise. When the CEO of Living Robotics and his sister hire Christian to audit their firm, he discovers significant irregularities. However, the investigation puts him in the crosshairs of dangerous individuals, forcing him to use his specialized skills and combat training to navigate the escalating conflict and protect those involved in the audit.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Christian Wolff, an autistic man raised by a father who trained him in martial arts, works as a forensic accountant for criminal organizations. While auditing Living Robotics, he discovers $61 million has been embezzled. After a hitman targets him and the in-house accountant, Dana Cummings, Christian rescues her and takes her to a secure location. Simultaneously, Treasury Director Ray King and agent Marybeth Medina track Christian's identity. It is revealed that Christian previously eliminated the Gambino mafia family in revenge for his friend, Francis Silverberg. During the investigation, Christian's identity as a man of principle is noted by King. The conflict culminates when Christian infiltrates the mansion of Lamar Blackburn. During a final confrontation, he faces his brother, Braxton, and eventually kills Lamar. The film ends with Dana finding a hidden painting in Christian's vehicle while he drives away on a country road.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 128
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gavin O'Connor
- Writers
- Bill Dubuque · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ben Affleck · Christian Wolff / The Accountant; Anna Kendrick · Dana Cummings; J. K. Simmons · Raymond King; Jon Bernthal · Braxton; Cynthia Addai-Robinson · Marybeth Medina; Jeffrey Tambor · Francis Silverberg; John Lithgow · Lamar Blackburn; Jean Smart · Rita Blackburn
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- autism; justice; family
- Tone and mood
- intense; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- action; martial arts; accounting; assassination
- Source material / true-story basis
- graphic novel
- Franchise connections
- The Accountant
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the lead performance and action sequences, but mixed responses regarding the portrayal of autism.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 51 · scale: 100 · review count: 45; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 84% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film was shot on 35mm photochemical celluloid film stock.; The action sequences featured the Indonesian martial art Pencak Silat.; The film was the top-rented film of 2017 for both disc and digital.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…