The Banker (1989)

Too much of everything

Good movie but grossly overrated

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Loved Forster in other movies and wanted to check out some of his earlier work; he's good in this but the script doesn't do much, although the modus operandi of the killer is off the beaten path, at least. The underdog cop just seems to be there as the obligatory buddy cop, dialog and plot aren't bad. They definitely needed to hit the gyms to look for a better boom mic operator, though...all the shenanigans the reporter gets away with are more than a bit implausible, too.

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.

I would not advise anyone to waste their time with this movie. Its a dull, unmemorable and lame little film. A wealthy banker kills women with his crossbow as part of some hunting ritual from South America which is never really explained or given any elaboration whilst the police investigation headed by Robert Forster tries to get to the bottom of things. I've probably just made the movie sound more interesting than it is. The movie padded out with subplots about a pimp blackmailing the titular banker and Forster's annoying and shrill reporter girlfriend baiting the banker on her news show so she can be kidnapped by him for the predictable finale and also with some pointless soft core sex scenes. Most of the killing scenes are dull and unmemorable and most the movie is by the book padding. The only high points to the film are the presence of Robert Forster, who is still good even in dreck like this and gets a few good lines and one scene later in the movie when the banker deals with his blackmailer. Its such a nifty little scene it doesn't seem to belong in this movie. However, it is not enough to recommend this one.

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