In the documentary “Becoming Warren Buffet,” the multi-billionaire credits a sizable portion of his success to factors “beyond his control” given to him at birth – including being born a white male.
Through his film “The Banker,” writer/director George Nolfi proves Warren Buffet’s words true.
The film, which opens at the Chase Park Plaza on Friday, March 6 and will stream on Apple TV+ starting March 20, stars Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Nia Long and Jessie T. Usher.
“You was born the wrong color son,” a young Bernard Garrett is told by his father upon learning that his son is a self-taught financial genius in the making.
For a teen growing up in small town in the 1940s, the elder Garrett’s words aren’t negative reinforcement that run the risk stomping out Bernard’s ambitions. They are fact.
Had he been a white adolescent with a curiosity and capacity for the facts and figures that financial geniuses are made of, Bernard’s success would have been a given – and he would have been taken under the wing of the industry executives in his town and groomed for triumph.
“Negro man can’t earn money with this,” his father continues. “White man won’t let him – no matter how good at it you are.”
Those words don’t discourage Bernard, they fuel his drive with a passion to prove his father wrong. He grows up and sets off for Los Angeles with the sole intention of putting his mind to work for the sake of making money and building generational wealth within his community. But even outside the confines of the Jim Crow south, Bernard must get creative if he has the most remote chance of building an empire. With the support of his wife, the aid of successful businessman Joe Morris and the white privilege of one of his employees, Bernard is on the path to real estate and banking domination.
Bernard’s empire is a fragile one, because for every gain, racism and systemic oppression are waiting just around the bend to wreak havoc on his unlikely success. And though his success rests completely on his whiteness, employee Jake Steiner quickly comes to believe he is as brilliant as his partners help him pretend to be. He exerts his privilege to put Bernard and Joe in a compromising position that could be their undoing.
“The Banker” is formulaic and predictable as a film with a “made for TV” feel. But the ensemble of actors adds color and depth. On the strength of their organic chemistry, they save the film from what would have been a cute, but boring “run of the mill, based on a true story of racist history” format destiny.
Mackie has the assurance and fortitude to allow Bernard Garrett to walk the line of confidence and arrogance. And the film masterfully takes advantage of Samuel L. Jackson’s impeccable, but somewhat underutilized, comedic timing in his portrayal as Los Angeles businessman Joe Morris. And as Eunice Garrett, Nia Long is the glue that holds everyone together. She also exudes Eunice’s aptitudes and frustrations. Had she been born white and male, she would have given her husband a run for his money with respect to an enterprising mind and the wherewithal to build a business empire. As Matt Steiner, Nicholas Hoult shows the evolution of Jake Steiner from willing tool to an unwarranted, overly confident, borderline adversary.
The Banker opens at the Chase Park Plaza on Friday, March 6 and will stream on Apple TV+ beginning March 20. The film is rated PG-13 with a running time of 120 minutes.
