Apple TV+ launched just last week. It’s too early to tell how the streaming service’s first-week numbers look like, but Apple no doubt wants to dominate a streaming war which, more and more, looks like it will be between Netflix and Disney+.
Regardless, there is a ton of new content for your sole viewing pleasure on Apple TV +, and, hell, even an upcoming Oscar contender. Or at least that’s what Apple wants you to think of “The Banker” as.
One look at the just-released trailer and it already reeks of gobsmacked familiarity. From the direction to the writing. This one just feels like a non-starter. Especially with its late-year release date and the fact that not many people have been talking about this movie. The marketing has been non-existent because Apple TV+ has only existed for a few days now. So, it’s basically a race to the clock for Apple as they try and scramble to find some kind of momentum for this one. A world premiere at next week’s AFI Film Festival may test the waters, but will that be enough of a boost? Doubt it.
“The Banker” tells the true story of businessmen Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Samuel L. Jackson) who came up with a plan in the 1950s to buy a few banks. The middleman of this scheme was a white person (Nicholas Hoult) who was going to infiltrate the no-colored American banking system and strike a deal for the two men.
The film is directed by George Nolfi (“The Adjustment Bureau”) and arrives in theaters on December 6.