Bank of Dave is a simple but well-told film that feels utterly satisfying from start to end. Dave is the little guy who only wants to give back to his community, but stopping him from achieving his noble goals are the big guys in suits with vested interests and too narrow a focus to appreciate the good that Dave is after. The film is David versus Goliath, countryside versus cityside, socialist versus capitalist (or, if you like, ethical capitalism versus unethical capitalism). You know who will triumph in the end, but that doesn’t detract from the film’s overall enjoyability. The dialogue is smart and stirring, and you can’t help but root for the film’s small heroes to win big.
The true story of how Dave Fishwick, a working class man and self-made millionaire, fought to set up a community bank so that he could help the local businesses of Burnley not only survive, but thrive. In his bid to help his beloved community, he has to take on the elitist financial institutions of London and fight to receive the first, new banking license to be issued in over 100 years.
Based on a true story, the film follows local businessman Dave (Rory Kinnear) as he tries to set up a community bank in the small town of Burnley, much to the chagrin of elitist financiers in London.
Apart from being an inspirational and feel-good movie, Bank of Dave is a great legal drama to boot. The film’s most compelling scene takes place in court, with Dave’s lawyer Hugh (Joel Fry) defending the small town of Burnley with all his might. I won’t spoil it, but the build-up is just as impressive, and it involves a couple of clever references to one of the most iconic legal films, A Few Good Men. Hugh’s own story, in fact, is just as rich and gripping as Dave’s. The film did well to not center too much on Dave and throw laurels on his good deeds, but rather parallel his story with Hugh’s own journey towards simplicity and happiness.
It’s so enjoyable, I didn’t realize I was cheering for a businessman-banker and his bigshot lawyer until long after the movie ended.
