The Accountant (2001 film)

The Accountant
Promotional poster
Directed byRay McKinnon
Written byRay McKinnon
Produced by
Starring
  • Ray McKinnon
  • Walton Goggins
  • Eddie King
CinematographyBlake B. Jackson
Edited byJoan Sobel
Music byRusty Andrews
Production
company
Distributed byLightyear Entertainment
Release dates
  • January 2001 (2001-01) (Slamdance)
  • November 3, 2009 (2009-11-03) (home video)
Running time
40 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Accountant is a 2001 American independent Southern Gothic dark comedy short film directed and written by Ray McKinnon and produced by Lisa Blount and Walton Goggins.[1]

Set in rural Georgia, the film follows on the O'Dell brothers Tommy (portrayed by Walton Goggins) and David (portrayed by Eddie King), who seek the assistance of a mysterious unnamed accountant (portrayed by Ray McKinnon) to save their multi-generation family farm from foreclosure due to outstanding debt. Determined to save another family farm through rather unconventional methods, the accountant also takes the brothers on a crusade regarding his corporate conspiracies regarding the decline of American family farms and his quest to save Southern culture.[2]

Filming took place in and around the cities of Douglasville and Covington in the state of Georgia.[3]

The film premiered at the 2001 Slamdance Film Festival. In 2002, it won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.[4] It received a video and DVD release in November 2009.[5] The film has since become a cult classic.[6]

The film was the inspiration for the Drive-by Truckers song “Sink Hole,” from the album Decoration Day.[7]

References

  1. ^ Rorie, Kenneth. "Lisa Suzanne Blount (1957–2010)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  2. ^ "Special Screening of The Accountant to headline 2025 Athens Film Festival with special guests Ray McKinnon and Eddie King". Georgia Entertainment. State of Georgia. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  3. ^ "The Accountant – Filming & production". IMDb. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  4. ^ "The Accountant—Cast, Crew, Director and Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  5. ^ "The Accountant (2001)". VideoETA. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "The Accountant – Walton Goggins – Ray McKinnon". Lightyear Entertainment. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  7. ^ Drive-by Truckers (November 14, 2025). The Definitive Decoration Day. New West Records.