The engine of the film slows to a half in these
Texas scenes, perhaps because it decides to
shift much of its focus to Matt and by that
point, you’re merely watching everything that
they’ve built crumble. By the time the credits
roll, you feel like you never exactly got to know
anything deeper than surface level about
Bernard and Joe.
“The Banker” was supposed to come out in
theaters at the end of last year, a late-game,
long-shot awards hopeful, that was pulled
when accusations of misconduct were levied
against Bernard Garrett Jr., a producer on the
film, by his half-sister. His name was removed
from the credits, but two of Bernard Sr.’s wives
who are not depicted in the film then took issue
with the accuracy of the story and timeline.
The filmmakers responded that the story is based
on Garrett’s own audio recordings from 1955.
That truth might never come to light, but taken
on its own, “The Banker” is a pleasant watch. And
who wouldn’t benefit from a little Mackie and
Jackson banter right now?
“The Banker,” an AppleTV+ release is rated PG-13
by the Motion Picture Association of America
for “some strong language including a sexual
reference and racial epithets and smoking
throughout.” Running time 120 minutes. Two
and a half stars out of four.
MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material
may be inappropriate for children under 13.