I am back again with another movie review on a movie that blew my mind. If you haven't seen my last movie review, then you should check it out The Godfather.
The Banker by George Nolfi is a 2020 American Drama movie that talks about two black Americans who decided to buy a bank that refused to give out loans to Blacks to leave them deprived in a State that has never accepted them right from the bringing of time. The spice in the movie is the fact that it portrays the socio-economical state of black people in the 90s. The movie doesn't only center on racism being exhibited through spoken words and expressions. But it displays a new kind of racism that has only been noticed by a few.
THE RACISM IN THE FINANCIAL WORLD
With the movie, I got to understand that there is a whole new kind of racial segregation occurring in the world that we are unaware of. How the financial system has refused to support Blacks by refusing to issue out loans that could serve as a capital boost for businesses within the community, which in return will foster growth within the society. The movie opened my eye to the fact that Blacks have been given a social stereotypical identity that describes them as individuals that have poor experience in managing money.
How can you call a group of people poor when you didn't allow them to access wealth? You deny them the chance to accumulate wealth for themselves and family but you still define their experience as poor. So tell me how can you say someone will not be good at managing money when you haven't seen how he or she handles the money in their possession?
The Bank in the movie especially in Texas denied people access to loans just because of the color of their skin. Funny enough, this made me see how the finance world works, it is all based on who you know and what you possess in your account.
The movie began with a very pictorial display of how things used to be. How black people used to be so suppressed down to the point where the only kind of jobs at their disposal were labor jobs. The scene that brought out this picture was a flashback to when Garett was working as a shoe shinner outside the Bank in Texas. What got me interested in young Garrett was the fact that while he was working as a shoe shinner, he still made out time to learn the concept of banking from the conversations the bankers had outside the bank while shininig their shoes. From this moment, I knew Garnett was a character to look out for. With his strong tenacity to find a means to make wealth, right from an early age. This got me marvel because I truly admire mindsets like this. Mindsets that are concerned with the growth and creation of wealth right from an early stage.
With time and education, Garrett grew into a young man who understood the financial system in the United States and how to use it to his advantage. Garrett had also grown into a man who was good at spotting loopholes and thinking beyond the system. One thing I learned from his knowledge and expertise is
Understand the system you find yourself but think outside the box if you want to break the barriers set against you by this system.
A remarkable thing about this movie has to be the relationship between Garnett and his lovely wife Eunice Garrett. The character Eunice Garret played by Nia Long shows a level of commitment and understanding that can occur between two individuals who are madly in love. I've always been a sucker for love and it shouldn't be surprising why I love this couple. They exhibited some level of closure I haven't seen in a while amongst couples in movies. How the woman believed strongly in her husband's dream and journey of acquiring wealth made me intrigued. She believed in it so much that she stood up to her uncle who didn't believe in Garret's dream coming anywhere close to reality. If this isn't love, then please tell me, what it is.
Since Eunice believed so much in her husband, she was willing to gamble on it, then she introduced him to someone who would later be his business partner, Joe Morris played by Samuel Jackson. Although the two did not start on a good note later on they got to understand each other's differences and their common stronghold, which was having a good eye for business opportunities and how much such business can bring out.
Garrett started in real estate, where he bought buildings and lease them. The business was doing well until his initial investor died and the investor's wife forced Garrett to sell his shares to her at a price that was lesser than its value. This happened because the woman was unwilling to do business with a black man.
As you should know by now, I hate spoilers that's why I always try not to review too much of the movie, in such a way that you are no longer interested in watching the movie.
Finally, THE BANKER is a movie I can boldly recommend to anyone because it has done an excellent job of describing the struggle of a black man in a country that looks for ways to deny him the opportunity of tasting wealth. And trust me, that's not all, the movie also shared light on the undervaluing expectations placed on women and not just any woman, a black woman for that matter. The two hours of my time spent were totally worth and this article won't be complete if I didn't show my appreciation to my good friend @samostically for recommending the movie. It was a nice watch.
Go grab your popcorn guys and watch THE BANKER.
