The Banker

In the drama The Banker, two black men want to start a company in the 1950s. But they know racism will limit their success. So they hire a white man to pose as the head of the company. Meanwhile, they pretend to be a janitor and a chauffeur. The story begins in the 1950s in America. Bernard Garrett is an entrepreneur who has dreams of being a successful real estate investor. As a black man, he has little chance of breaking through the racist barriers that keep him out of the business. He convinces a successful black club owner to back him financially. The pair then hire a white man to serve as the face of the company. This plan to work around racism works, and eventually they're running a successful bank. They move the business to Texas and help black customers to buy homes. Their success raises the ire of the racist white population, who decide to work hard to ruin the business. The Banker is based on a true story. The film was originally intended to have a limited theatrical release in late 2019. Apple, which planned to later release the film on its Apple TV+ streaming platform, cancelled the theatrical release at the last minute. Instead, the film was released directly to Apple TV+ in March 2020. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics. Some critics praised the strong performances by the movie's three lead actors. The writing of the screenplay, however, was often described as weak.