Drama
United States of America
The Banker is a 2020 movie directed by George Nolfi and based on the true story of two African American entrepreneurs, Bernard Garrett (played by Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (played by Samuel L. Jackson), who come up with an audacious plan to challenge the racial discrimination that is keeping black people out of the lucrative real estate business in Los Angeles in the 1960s.
Bernard Garrett, a carpenter and self-taught financial expert, dreams of owning his own bank but knows that as a black man in America, he won't be able to secure the loans necessary to fund such a venture. So he enlists the help of Joe Morris, a suave and well-connected businessman, and together they devise a plan to purchase a local bank through a white frontman, Matt Steiner (played by Nicholas Hoult), and run it covertly behind the scenes.
To make their plan work, the two men hire Matt as their proxy and teach him the ins and outs of the banking business, all the while making all the critical decisions from behind the scenes. They also enlist the help of two white men, played by Colm Meaney and Paul Ben-Victor, to act as their faces in public and manipulate the system to their advantage.
The Banker explores themes of race, class, and power in America and sheds light on the struggle of African Americans against institutionalized racism in the 1960s. Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, the two men persevere and eventually succeed in becoming the first African American bankers in the United States. However, their success comes at great personal cost, and they are ultimately forced to confront the question of whether the ends justify the means.
