The Banker

In the 1960s a pair of ambitious Black businessmen chart a daring path through a segregated housing market. Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris build a real estate operation that leans on a white front man, Matt Steiner, to secure funding and win properties that would normally be closed to them. Their scheme exposes the racial barriers that govern lending and home ownership, turning a risky gambit into a contest against redlining and discrimination. As they recruit Eunice Garrett and other allies, the plan tests trust, legality, and personal risk while upending the status quo in neighborhoods that still define opportunity in America. The story traces grit, wit, and the cost of pursuing a dream within a hostile system for many.

Directed by George Nolfi and produced with Brad Kane and Niceole R Levy, The Banker draws on real events surrounding Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris. It premiered in 2020 and drew attention at film festivals before expanding to streaming platforms.

Box office figures were modest; The Banker pursued a streaming heavy release, with limited theatrical play. The film accumulated attention through Apple TV+ and other outlets rather than chasing big theater grosses. Its reach grew through word of mouth worldwide.

The Banker highlights a chapter in civil rights money politics, showing how savvy Black entrepreneurs challenged lenders and officials. It contributes to discussions about redlining and access to wealth, and gives Anthony Mackie and Samuel L Jackson a chance to personify resilience against discriminatory systems, and invites viewers to reflect.

Critics noted the film's timely subject and the performances by Mackie and Jackson, though some cautioned that the narrative occasionally slows. The work probes themes of race, ambition, and the costs of challenging a system built to keep opportunity uneven. Its balance keeps history accessible without dulling urgency for audiences.