The Banker - Just see it

Christopher Reeve once spoke about the power of film. That it can raise awareness and promote change in all aspects of the human condition, especially in regards to injustice and inequality. In my opinion, the real trick in telling these kinds of stories is striking a balance between informing and entertaining the audience. Because movies are and always will be entertainment first and foremost. We watch movies to escape the real world and all of its ugliness, now more than ever. So if you plan on using the medium of film to tell a relevant story and make a valuable statement, it is crucial to do so in a way that still gives the audience what they paid for. Fortunately for us, The Banker is such a film. An entertaining tale of two people fighting against inequality in their own way. 

Inspired by actual events, the story follows a young prodigy named Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and a successful club owner named Joe Moris (Samuel L. Jackson), who decides to take on a career in real estate. However, to do so, he must have assistance from the bank, which will offer no help to him simply because they're black. Eventually, the two men realize that to make their business work, they need to find a way around the broken (racist) system. They get the idea to take on a young white man named Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult) to pose as the face of their business. Together, they buy a bank and start handing out loans for people of all races to purchase homes and start businesses. The only question is, how far can their plans reach? 

The real strength of the film lies with its writing. The witty dialogue, apt character beats, and robust narrative cohesion make for an entertaining and informative yarn. There are more moments of awe in this film's writing than I was expecting. Every once in a while, I found myself watching a scene, then rewinding it to see it again because it was just that cool. 

In all seriousness, the only aspect about this movie I kind of didn't like is that it's only available on Apple TV streaming service. I am glad that it is available on some platform or another, but this is one of the aspects of digital platforms that bothers me the most. That there is so much great content out there only viewable on multiple streaming services. The good news is that you can still see this film and not subscribe if you so choose. Apple TV has a free one week trial, which you can cancel anytime. My recommendation would be to sign up for the free week-long trial, watch the movie, then promptly cancel the whole thing. Unless you find one or two other things there, which you might be interested in. 

In any case, I do highly recommend this film. It is entertaining, informative, and quite timely. It may not feel like it at times, but progress does march onward. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.