Ten movies that accountants and finance professionals will love to watch

Enjoying your vacation but also missing work? Here’s a list of movies with accounting themes, or movies with accountants or finance professionals playing a central part. Whether you are looking for the familiarity of your surroundings or want to indulge in a fantasy involving accounting superpowers, you’ll find a movie on this list that will do the trick.

Some of these movies feature shotgun toting accountants – unlike any you have encountered in real life (we hope). Others feature characters that are a living embodiment of the ‘number-cruncher’ stereotype. But all of the movies have shining moments of accounting superheroes saving the day. And if you are in the mood for facts and not fiction, we have you covered with some of the most entertaining documentaries. Enjoy!

1. Schindler’s List

Watch Ben Kingsley play Itzhak Stern, an intelligent, experienced accountant working with the German industrialist Oskar Schindler to save hundreds of Jews from the Nazis.

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

2. Rogue Trader

Watch Ewan McGregor play Nick Leeson, an investment broker who bankrupted one of England’s oldest merchandise banks through reckless investment strategies.

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

3. The Shawshank Redemption

A powerful prison drama exploring the bond between two prisoners – a banker (Tim Robbins) and another inmate (Morgan Freeman) serving life. Watch how Tim Robbins uses his accounting and banking smarts to win favour with the prison guards and officials.

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

4. All The President’s Men

This is the movie that popularised the catchphrase ‘Follow the money.’ Watch two intrepid reporters uncover the Watergate scandal that led to the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

5. The Untouchables

Watch Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Robert De Niro bring to life the story of how the power of accounting was used to bring down Al Capone when all else failed!

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD  and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

6. Midnight Run

What happens when an accountant embezzles millions of dollars from a mob boss? Go on a wild and hilarious ride with Robert De Niro and Eddie Moscone to find out!

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

7. The Accountant

Watch Ben Affleck play a math savant whose small town CPA office is just a front for his freelance accounting services for the underworld. Things spiral out of control when he takes on a legitimate client whose accounts show a discrepancy of millions.

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

8. Brewster’s Millions

You must have worked hard to save money for your clients, but what if you had to advise someone who needed to spend money fast? Enjoy the story of a regular guy who needs to spend 30 million dollars in 30 days to inherit a huge fortune.

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD  and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

9. Freakonomics

Based on the eponymous book, the movie uses maths and economics to explore the hidden and unexpected sides of different facets of life.

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer:

10. The Ascent of Money

We live in a world that has a remarkably complex financial structure. Watch the bestselling author and economist Niall Ferguson trace the development of money across the world.

Check out the ratings and reviews on IMBD.

Watch Niall Ferguson’s lecture on the topic:

Did we overlook your favourite movies and you feel they command a place on this list? Contact us on Twitter and we will add the movie of your choice – if it a highly-rated movie with accounting themes or if it features accountants in a central role.  

Originally published Dec 30, 2016 12:12:23, updated Jan 29 2024

Topics: