Bank of Dave

I came across this one on Netflix, not having heard anything about it and was pleasantly surprised. It's the glorious, true story of the little man taking on the establishment. Self made Millionaire Dave Fishwick decides to start a bank in his home town of Burnley to help support local businesses,creating jobs and services for the community. In doing so he comes face to face with the banking establishment, who use all their dirty tricks to prevent him. In a way mirroring the sentiments of classics like It's a Wonderful Life, this film shows what can be achieved when people come together to take on the powers that be. An uplifting gem.

Dave Fishwick, the inspiration behind this movie did!

So given the premise of this and it's setting in Burnley don't expect a glitzy Hollywood style setting. Instead expect a heart warming Dave(id) v's Goliath battle of trying to open a community focused bank and the challenges and obstacles faced during such an audacious endeavour.

The acting is very natural and fluid and I really liked the slow burning chemistry between 2 of the main characters (Hugh and Alexandra).

Phoebe Dynevor who played Alexandra is so delightful to watch and really does light up the screen. I hope to see her in more in the future.

Joel Fry who played Hugh gave a very endearing performance, and I really did admire his unique style of acting (brave but smart casting there).

Rory Kinnear who played Dave really did his character justice and obviously did his research to remain faithful in portraying aspects of the personality of the creator of the Bank of Dave aka Burnley Savings and Loans Limited

So kudos to Netflix for bringing this great story to our screens.

After watching a string of overlong offerings from Netflix this was a refreshingly well made film.

A true story, despite obvious fictional embellishment, it was well acted and the screenplay and direction was efficient and credible.

One feature in the story gave me a bit of a problem: the theft of a page of Hugh's file. That seems a bit of a stretch of the imagination but I won't try and find out if it did actually happen.

It was also nice to see a film that is clearly not a pilot for a potential series.

And of course it does make a very important point about the banking sector. Overall strongly recommended.

British films have, historically, tended to stick to certain formulas. They are usually set in the 'grim' north and are about underdogs winning against the odds. But while 'Bank of Dave' does fit that synopsis, it manages to be fresh, funny, and relevant. It doesn't dwell on grime for grittiness - it actually shows how beautiful the north of England is, how friendly the people are, and it's a joy to watch the central character of a London lawyer fall for the northern charm. But that's just a side show to the main story which is an incredible true story I wasn't previously aware of, and one that needs to be told. My Netflix subscription is currently balancing on a knife's edge, but this film managed to save it from being cancelled this month. More like this, please!

Bank of Dave is a heavily fictionalised feelgood comedy drama about Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear.) A truck and minibus dealer in Burnley. After the financial crash of 2008 when banks got bailed out but stopped lending to those in need.

Fishwick wanted to start a not for profit bank that would give loans to the local community.

In his way is the elitist banking establishment determined that northerner like Fishwick will not get his bank off the ground. So he gets the help of a corporate lawyer Hugh (Joel Fry) from London to make the application for a banking licence.

Bank of Dave rightly takes a stick to the banking fat cats who took fraudulent risks, went bust, saved by a Labour government and the taxpayer. All so they could carry on regardless.

The movie is too formulaic. Northerners are the salt of the earth, Londoners are hissable villains. There is a romantic subplot involving Hugh and a NHS doctor.

There is a good performance from Rory Kinnear. Despite his father hailing from Wigan, his accent seemed to be more generic northern than Lancashire.

Director Chris Foggin knows which buttons to push to give it a warm glow. The songs help as well as an appearance from Def Leppard.