The Banker

The Banker is a real B-movie. According to lead actor Robert Forster, this film was one of director Quentin Tarantino's favorites, when he was still working at a video store. It would be this film that landed Forster a role in Tarantino's film Jackie Brown.

Foster plays the bad ass cop who is hot on the heels of a serial killer who likes bizarre South American rituals.

But it never rises above average, and Spaulding's motives remain shrouded in mystery.

It is also clear that the budget was too low to give the film a more professional look, but the premise wasn't that bad.

This film had some potential but the end result is a bit of a failure.

My review was written in December 1989 after watching the movie on MCEG/Virgin video cassette.

A bank chairman as a heartless monster? What sounds like a job description is the basis for an effective horror tale in the flasher genre.

William Webb, shose films have inevitably gone direct to video, makes no pretense at making a whodunit here. We're immediately informed that banker Duncan Regehr is killing call girls, then ritualistically mutilating their bodies. It seems he's following some ancient South American Indian practice, even painting his face and using a crossbow.

Robert Forster is the plodding cop tracking him down. Giving the film an interesting wrinkle is Forster's old flame, Shanna Ree, who becomes a successful newscaster and wins popular support when her uncensored outrage at the killer is allowed to be broadcast. Regehr becomes one of her biggest fans and then turns against her in a love-hate fashion.

Though low on suspense, pic benefits from casting of such luscious actresses as Teri Weigel and Deborah Richter as the targets of Regehr's bloodlust. There are overt overtones of "The Most Dangerous Game" as he often refers to hunt down his human prey.

Duncan Regher is THE BANKER. He's a mild mannered Banker by day, at night he's a sociopathic homo sapien hunter. Being a good sport, Duncan always give's his weaker prey a second chance. Robert Forester (80's DTV star) plays a cop who's hot on the Banker's trail. Faded 70's Pop Star Leif Garrett makes an apperence as one of the Banker's trophy's and Taxi's Jeff Conaway co-stars as well.

Mindless fun. Worth watching.

B

I would classify this one as more of a thriller, rather than a slasher/horror film. Granted, there is a part near the end of the film that resembles something from a horror film, but it also felt out of place. This one had some entertaining qualities as it had Robert Forster who is usually good in this type of role and it was cool watching him try and find the creepy killer, but at times it veered into boring territory and pointless territory with unneeded subplots and characters.

The story has a guy kill a prostitute to open the film. Soon Forster is on the case and his ex who is a reporter goes insane trying to load the killer into striking. Meanwhile, the killer is rich and buys her station which kind of was pointless. Then a guy knows this dude is a killer and instead of telling the police he decides to do a little blackmail. Still, Robert Forster keeps getting closer and so does the reporter ex, dangerously so.

I like Robert Forster here and the guy who was Shaft is good as the chief. The reporter is annoying and the killer is okay. He gets more creepy as the film progresses. Still, the film needed more as it is just feels like it is missing a crucial ingredient.

So, I did not mind watching this one, but it was far from a good film. Forster carries the film, a couple of kills though nothing all that great as the killer uses a crossbow. Some nudity in this one as well. Kind of entertaining, but in a generic 80s movie kind of way.

Well, that would be a great line if it were in the movie.. but it ain't. On the other hand, this movie has a LOT of great quotes, and some really good, memorable performances.

The story is very simple: A wealthy banker (played brilliantly by Duncan Regehr, who some of us may remember from the TV-series "Zorro") goes nuts after a trip in the jungle, and starts killing random hookers and call-girls all around town (or even in his own house) just for the hell of it. His two prey-providing pimps, are Fowler (Leif Garrett "Walking Tall 1-3"), who doesn't care about anything but money, and Cowboy (Jeff Conaway from "Taxi" and "Celebrity Rehab"), who tries to find the man who has been killing his girls - but as it turns out, not to avenge their deaths or to turn him in, but to CASH IN on his knowledge to the fact.. well, we all know what happens then..

Anyway, there's this cop, Dan (Robert Forster, "Jackie Brown") also on The Banker's tail, because he is apparently targeting a news-anchor woman with a conscience (played by the relatively unknown Shanna Reed), and Dan doesn't want to see her get hurt, and with some help from his captain (Richard Roundtree aka "Shaft") and his new rookie partner Eddie (Juan García), he finally gets close to the bad guy, but still lacks sufficient hard evidence to capture and jail him.. what to do then? I'm not gonna spoil it.. use your imagination, kids.

To round out the ensemble cast, Michael Fairman ("Dead Silence", "Forces of Nature") plays the TV-station boss, and the lovely Deborah Richter (the cyborg from "Cyborg") plays an unfortunate call-girl.. as does future porn-star Teri Weigel (from "Predator 2" fame). And then there's the cameo from future screen-writer Richard Brandes (who wrote "Martial Law 1+2") as a yuppie who tries to stab The Banker.. and we all know what happens to random punks trying to match up to major bad guys in 1980s B-movies.. that's right, they become Hollywood Screenwriters.

So, all in all a generally entertaining action-thriller, with a blatant serial-killer who sports full Indian warpaint and usually kills his victims with a crossbow before his disembowels them.. often whilst whistling the theme from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Awesome.