Bank of Dave

Bank Of Dave is a feel good film which tick lots of nice boxes as long as you don't look at it with a critical eye. Which I do. A bit. Right then. The cons first. Whilst the main actors play their parts well, some of the support acting is a bit flaky. Fair enough - this is a relatively low budget film so understandable. Secondly, the script is a bit clunky in places, which doesn't help the actors and does make the film feel somewhat contrived at times - you know exactly how this is going to play out. This is okay though - not everyone wants a challenging stressy film, or a film full of unpleasant, gritty, dark characters. I know I don't. Thirdly, Burnley is portrayed as a lovely town of working class, heart of gold, decent, fair, hard working, honest, caring, sharing, people. It isn't. Lots are. But lots are not. Fourthly, a LOT of the content isn't remotely true or accurate, but you need to make the film interesting so fair enough with the carefree approach to facts. The pros. It's a feel good film for all the family and Dave seems like a very decent chap and that's enough justification to make a nice movie. Secondly, I forgot Def Leppard actually did some really good songs! Needed to hear more of them. Er... That's it.

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!

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.

This is a true gem of a film. A sort of feel good comedy with a bit of romance and some social comedy thrown in . With the banking sector being the bad guys , what's not to like.

The acting is great all the way through . There are a couple of laugh out load moments a background romance.

I thought Joel Fry played his part magnificently as the slightly confused southerner thrown into the north of England.

The story of Dave Fishwick is described at the beginning as True(ish) as there is clearly a lot of artistic licensing going off. But at its heart is a man who just wants to give something back to his community.

Joyful film cant recommend enough.

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.