Despite many legal aspects of the film, the documentary remains a very human story of resilience and standing up for one’s rights, beliefs and integrity.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 9, 2024

James doesn't mess around, aiming straight for our sentimental jugulars

| Jul 2, 2021

Away from the case, the biggest joys of Abacus are seeing the Sung family together, around a conference room table or the dinner table alike. The way they interact with each other feels so familiar...

| Jan 4, 2021

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail is an intelligent and involving doc feature.

| Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 1, 2020

While the story has interesting aspects, it is hard to fully sympathize with a family of bankers.

| Jul 8, 2020

Abacus is another example of James' exceptional storytelling and his ability to generate (and sometimes manipulate) emotions in this audience with precision.

| May 7, 2020

"Abacus: Small Enough to Jail" is a great documentary about a very appealing story, that highlights the strength of family bonds and immigrant communities

| Dec 23, 2019

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail is nearly a tragedy, the story of a good man brought down despite having the best of intentions.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Mar 21, 2019

How many other films, documentary or otherwise, has ever made the finer points of federal financial regulation so interesting?

| Original Score: 7/10 | Dec 27, 2018

What cuts through the judicial fog and lines the undercarriage of the obviously misguided political attack on Abacus ... is a deeper question: What exactly are the societal functions of financial institutions in today's world?

| Dec 5, 2018

It's a slice of recent history that still has yet to become a part of the collective consciousness, but Abacus aims to play a small part in rectifying that.

| Nov 28, 2018

Abacus" reveals itself to be the most richly observed portrait of Chinese-American family life since Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" and Wayne Wang's subsequent film adaptation.

| Nov 1, 2018

James tells this story with much empathy, not necessarily concerning himself with too much of the financial world's jargon, and instead focusing on those universal kernels that speak loudly and singly to us all.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 29, 2018

Abacus moves at a brisk pace and never feels dry or procedural.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Feb 27, 2018

A deserved nominee for Best Documentary at this year's Academy Awards, Abacus is as fascinating as it is likely to foment rage.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Feb 21, 2018

The perfectly conventionally doc is quite revealing of systemic racism and other grander issues in America and its judicial system.

| Feb 9, 2018

Informative but dry docu on the trial of a small bank.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 6, 2018

The personalities make the picture, and James' camera presence is such that "Abacus" never seems to gin up or theatricalize anyone's thoughts or behavior.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 25, 2018

It's a truly fascinating film ... that will make you scratch your head in wonder that this was the only prosecutorial response to the financial misdeeds of the last decade.

| Jan 24, 2018

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail does build to a quietly engrossing climax and worthy championing of raging, albeit moderately, against the machine.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 28, 2017