Have you seen this beautiful disaster? Do you think The Accountant deserved his own spin-off? Sound off in the comments below.
Director Patrick Lussier knows exactly what movie he is making. This is a love letter to the drive-in exploitation flicks of the 70s. The car chases are practical, brutal, and loud. There is a shootout in a hotel room that lasts ten minutes. There is a scene where Cage drives a Dodge Charger through a cornfield while shooting at a cult van, and the camera never cuts. It’s pure, unapologetic mayhem.
If you go into this looking for nuanced drama, you will hate it. But if you want to turn your brain off, crack open a beer, and watch the King of Weird Cinema drive a hot rod through hellfire while a demonic accountant does Sudoku puzzles in the backseat?
Rating: ★★★★ (Four out of five flaming skulls)
If you have somehow missed this 3D grindhouse gem from 2011, let me paint you a picture: Nicolas Cage, wearing the greatest leather coat in cinematic history, has escaped from Hell. He is not here to negotiate. He is not here to find inner peace. He is here to steal a muscle car and kill every single member of a Satanic cult to save his infant granddaughter from being sacrificed.
Hot on his heels is “The Accountant” (William Fichtner), a mysterious, silver-tongued man in a white suit who works for the devil. The Accountant isn’t there to stop Milton—he’s there to bring him back . Their cat-and-mouse game is less The Fugitive and more Looney Tunes if Bugs Bunny smoked cigarettes and quoted Machiavelli. 1. The Cage-ian Energy This is peak, uncut, 100% pure grade-A Cage. He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, it’s a gravelly whisper that sounds like a dump truck full of gravel driving over a bag of feral cats. He reloads a shotgun while having sex. He drinks bourbon while driving 120mph. He stares at the moon with the quiet rage of a man who literally has nothing left to lose.
Turn off your phone. Turn up the volume. And remember: "If you're gonna ride, ride in style."