The Accountant (2016): The Art of the Plot Twist

In this video, Gavin O'Connor's 2016 film "The Accountant" is used as a platform to talk about the characteristics and mechanics of a good plot twist.

Sources:

Leavitt, J. D. & Christenfeld, N. J. S. (2011). "Story spoilers don't spoil stories". Psychological Science, DOI: 10.1177/0956797611417007

College Humor's "Official Spoiler Rules" (2012)

"Split Behind The Scenes Interview - M. Night Shyamalan" (2017)

Music:

"Island in the Sun" by Andrew Applepie
"Bathtaking" by Andrew Applepie
"Keep on Trying" by Andrew Applepie

[jhewi]

Mine is at the end of Spider-Man homecoming where you find out Peter Parker is Spider-Man

[benjaunceyyy]

Ima keep it real chief, The Accountant is one of the most underrated films I have ever had the pleasure of watching, the score, acting and screenplay is literally masterful I can't believe the critics' reception was the way it was...

[Ewansarmy]

I think this is why shutter island is so amazing for me, despite the entire story being reliant on the plot twist at the end, it's so enjoyable going back to watch again and the impact upon first viewing was so powerful

[zFallen]

My favorite plot twist is in Ender's Game, knew nothing about it and it blew me away

[axelfirekirby]

i am 99% sure that Stuart little had a plot twist...

[FilmHerald]

Spoiler alert: spoilers don't matter! My favorite plot twist this past year was in Arrival.

[TheFlashParade]

I remember having the plot twist of The Sixth Sense spoiled for me before I went to see it in theatres. As the analysis in your video suggested I did enjoy the movie more. I picked up on the subtleties thrown in throughout and it felt like I was on the inside of an inside joke.

[Random]

From "Black Mirror" The episode "Shut up and dance". Some how at the end of the episode you go from cheering on the main character to hating him instantly after the twist.

[oatmealcoloured]

For me, a good plot twist has to be well-seeded.
If you look over the clues within ASOIAF, the red wedding has early warnings (for example Dany's visions in Qarth) and there is a building sense of dread over the chapters until the culmination.

Plot twists are useless if they are tossed in for shock value. There are hints in Fight Club or The Prestige you pick up on when you rewatch. Same with The Sixth Sense. If the plot twist comes out of nowhere, it will be shocking for a minute but ultimately meaningless. Changing the rules of the game suddenly is not a plot twist. Its lying to the audience

[alexcass]

Inside Man has one of the best examples of Nonlinear Narrative I've ever seen - the film starts with Clive Owen's character in what appears to be a prison cell, cryptically telling the audience that despite his surroundings, he's not in prison - at the end of the film it's revealed that this "cell" is actually still in the bank itself, and is what the crew had been working on during the heist, thus ensuring Clive Owen's character could simply walk out of the bank, just like he told the detective earlier in the film

[TheOutsider]

A note on the spoiler study: There's a difference between enjoying something more and experiencing it as it's meant to be experienced. I don't care if I'll ultimately enjoy a story more, I'd rather be surprised by its twists and fooled by its writers. Writers craft their stories around these secrets and they make efforts to lead you in that direction throughout the story. Knowing the answer before even starting a story can ruin the experience by disrupting immersion.

I'd also like to know the methodology of that spoiler study, as well as the sample. I'd like to see more than just enjoyment measured. You're not always intended to feel joy or excitement during a story. Sometimes you're meant to be angry, heartbroken, scared or anxious. I don't think one can argue that knowing a spoiler doesn't impact the reveal of said spoiler negatively.

[Arcsin]

When you mentioned the type where someone unimportant turns out important, I immediately thought of the show Sherlock when Molly’s boyfriend turned out to be Moriarty

[VAULT-TEC_INC.]

I don’t think of Shawshank as having a “plot twist, ” that’s just a revelation of Andy’s cleverness.

[dwc]

I've been thinking a lot about The Accountant lately and, coming back to this video (which I liked when I first saw it and still do), it has struck me that this film in particular is structured *in the form of a puzzle* much like one The Accountant assembled as a child and we see again at the end (also "do you like puzzles?"). So I'm not sure if what's going on is properly called a "twist" or series of them, or if there's something else to describe what's going on story-wise. It's not so much that the narrative is leading the viewer to expect one thing and then delivers something different; it's that the narrative structure is building the story from the corners to the connecting pieces until finally the last couple of pieces fill in the middle and you have the whole picture in front of you.
Or maybe I'm just defining "twist" wrong.

[Ethanpca]

Can you add a warning for spoilers as there are a few large movies/shows which are spoiled. (Like GOT)

[rebeccag]

Usual suspects, the greatest plot twist of all time. I refuse to believe anything else

[LacrosseWorld]

I was waiting for an explanation of the accountant but you didn’t spoil it except tell us there’s a twist. Brilliant

[addimbantuwe]

As many times as M.Night got it wrong, the plot twist in Unbreakable is absolutely spectacular

[ShawnofSteel]

Favorite Plot Twist:







Epstein didn’t kill himself

[buckb]

The way Mickey Rourke delivers the plot Twist in Angel Heart was flawless. It wasn't even about how it changed the movie you had just seen (which it did)… the power of it is in Mickey's ability to showcase the emotional impact. You couldn't see it without a sympathy that floored you to heart break.