Review: The Banker

With the current situation meaning the only destination for new releases at the moment is via streaming. It is intriguing which films are taking the risk of not having a theatrical release.

With this particular film, it is the ever-growing Apple TV that is has chosen to showcase its end product.

Being inspired by a true story, coming from the same director as the enjoyable The Adjustment Bureau and containing a quality cast, I was certainly up for being entertaining from this story.

The opening act introduces our characters and their respective backgrounds well. I liked the story was already making unexpected swerves. So much so that it turned from a Pygmalion/My Fair Lady situation to a heist or caper story with a unique difference. By that point, my engagement had drastically enhanced and I was there for the ride for the remainder of the duration.

What I liked about it the most was the script. There is a lot of necessary bank and real estate lingo being used in many conversations. But it is executed in a way to still make it work for anyone to understand and never make you come out of the film.

It also worked due to the convincing and highly memorable performances. It was nice to see Anthony Mackie be the lead as I never really saw him as an actor capable of carrying a film. But I'm happy to see him prove me wrong and give strength and confidence in his character that made him extremely watchable.
That as well as his chemistry with the always charismatic Samuel L. Jackson gave us a fun partnership that I would like to see in future projects. Nicholas Hoult was as solid as you might expect and it was great seeing Nia Long be part of this project and become a memorable minor character. It was also nice seeing Colm Meaney have a part in this as I haven't seen him for a while and he always delivers.

Other aspects worked well. The production really showed off the the period well and the score enhanced all the scenes well.

I enjoyed this a lot more then I thought I would. This is a very rewarding watch and it's true story inspiration really gives it that edge that can be a real crowd-pleaser.
While its pay-off doesn't quite match the impact of its previous two acts, it's still satisfying enough to not detract my overall enjoyment. I hope this gets more access then just an Apple TV distribution.

Rating: 8/10