The Accountant (2001)

Director:

Ray McKinnon

Writer:

Ray McKinnon (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Tagline:

Can one man, one hard drinking, chain smoking, backwoods accountant, stop a national conspiracy, change the course of history, and save a way of life? It's do-able... but it ain't gonna be purdy.

Plot Keywords:

Accountant | Dog | Brother Brother Relationship | Conspiracy | Infidelity

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins

Cast

Ray McKinnon	...	The Accountant
Walton Goggins	...	Tommy O'Dell (as Walt Goggins)
Eddie King	...	David O'Dell
Gary Richardson	...	One-armed farmer

Runtime:

Argentina:35 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Covington, Georgia, USA

Company:

Ginny Mule Pictures

Trivia:

Drive-By Truckers' song "Sinkhole" (from the album Decoration Day) is based on this short film. Ray McKinnon was appreciative, and reciprocated by using a few Drive-By Truckers songs on the soundtrack for his film, Chrystal (2004).

Quotes:

The Accountant: If a man builds a machine and that machine conspires with another machine built by another man, are those men conspiring?

Movie Connections:

References "Hee Haw" (1969)

Bury his body in the old sink hole...

The makers of this genuine Southern-fried film personally sent me a copy as a thank-you for making a website about one of its stars. I feel blessed and very lucky to own it! Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, and Eddie King are all perfect in their roles; and the film nicely achieves its blend of humor and quirkiness, with an overall serious message...

Goggins and King play the O'Dell brothers, Tommy and David. One day, Tommy calls in the Accountant (McKinnon) with the intent to help save their family farm. And, well, he gets a little more than he bargained for! The Accountant eats a lot (pickled eggs, anyone?) and drinks a WHOLE lot. He also prefers to tap out his figuring with his hands and feet, rather than use a calculator. He holds some very interesting ideas about Southern culture, but perhaps the most bizarre thing about him is his suggestion for David on how to preserve the farm. (Bizarre, yet not unheard of!)

McKinnon proves himself three times here, as writer, director, and star. I loved his accent and Scottish dance, and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future! Goggins is, as always, fabulous (and very different from his character Shane on 'The Shield.'). He also does a great Billy Bob impersonation. Eddie King, whose filmography looks much smaller than his co-stars', matches them line for line in acting talent; he's just right as David, and has great chemistry with both McKinnon and Goggins.

Finally, I must mention the soundtrack, which effectively makes use of songs by Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Michael Hurley. (Also worth looking out for is the Drive-By Truckers' song "Sink Hole", which does not appear in the film yet was actually written about it.) Overall, the film is a must-see and a deserved Oscar-winner. Kudos to Ginny Mule pictures...may we see much more from them in years to come!