15 Movies Where There’s No Way the Protagonist Has That Job
The protagonist of a story can often do nearly anything the plot throws at them, mainly because they’re the protagonist. We know that, and can accept that, as long as the story itself tries at least a little bit to sell the concept. More often than not, it’s a secret life as some form of hitman/secret agent.
Sometimes, however, that excuse isn’t enough. Or isn’t even there. How can people with desk jobs become full blown squad leaders, master marksmen, and who knows what else? We’re all day at a desk, and we don’t know how to do any of that. These are the biggest examples of job mismatching.
The Accountant
In this film, Christian Wolff is a forensic accountant who secretly works for dangerous criminal organizations. He also just happens to possess exceptional combat skills and marksmanship, which we’re pretty sure aren’t covered in a standard accounting certification.
Wanted
Wesley Gibson, the hero of this story, starts as an anxiety-ridden accountant. He then discovers he has latent superhuman abilities and is the son of a professional assassin. It’s quite a career change from balancing spreadsheets.
Edge of Tomorrow
Major William Cage is a public relations officer with zero combat experience who gets thrown into a war against aliens. In the 2014 movie, he gets stuck in a time loop, dying and resetting the day until he becomes an expert soldier.
Total Recall
In the 1990 sci-fi classic, construction worker Douglas Quaid learns his entire life is a lie. His memories are supposedly implants hiding his true identity as a secret agent, although it could all be a simulation to give the worker some much needed excitement.
The Rock
This movie sends an FBI chemical weapons expert, Dr. Stanley Goodspeed, to disarm a threat on Alcatraz. As a biochemist with no field experience, his survival skills seem to come out of absolutely nowhere.
American Ultra
Mike Howell is just a small-town convenience store clerk, or so he thinks. It’s eventually revealed he’s a highly trained sleeper agent whose past as a government assassin is suddenly activated. Still, you’d think being high all the time would be some form of impairment.
Death Wish
The film features Paul Kersey, a successful architect whose life is torn apart by a violent attack on his family. He then transforms into a vigilante, taking matters into his own hands with surprising and brutal efficiency.
A History of Violence
Tom Stall, the mild-mannered diner owner in this thriller, becomes a local hero after stopping a robbery. This unwanted attention reveals his true identity as a former hitman trying to escape his violent past. We knew he was hiding something!
Knight and Day
June Havens is an antique car restorer who gets tangled up with a secret agent in this 2010 action-comedy. For someone whose job is careful restoration, she adapts to a life of international espionage and explosions remarkably quickly.
Central Intelligence
Calvin Joyner, a forensic accountant, gets a message from a former high school classmate who is now a CIA agent. In the film, he’s unwillingly pulled into a dangerous spy mission that his desk job did not prepare him for.
The Fugitive
In this 1993 classic, respected vascular surgeon Dr. Richard Kimble is wrongly convicted of his wife’s murder. He escapes custody and becomes a fugitive, demonstrating incredible resourcefulness and evasion skills for a man who’s spent his life in an operating room.
Fight Club
The unnamed narrator of this film is an automobile recall coordinator suffering from insomnia. His mundane job is the perfect contrast to his decision to form an underground fight club, although where he got the leadership skills is beyond us.
Collateral
Max Durocher is a meticulous Los Angeles taxi driver with big dreams and a clean cab. DUring the movie, he’s forced to drive a hitman on his nightly route, showing a surprising capacity for survival under extreme pressure.
National Treasure
Benjamin Franklin Gates is a historian and cryptologist, which are already pretty cool jobs. But this adventure shows him to be a full-blown adventurer, easily pulling off heists and getting into chases that most academics would probably avoid.
Straw Dogs
In the original 1971 film, David Sumner is an American mathematician who moves to rural England for some peace and quiet. When confronted by hostile locals, he’s forced to use his intellect to orchestrate a brutally violent defense of his home.