BANK, THE

The three story strands intersect in a stunning dramatic twist in The Bank, a gripping David and Goliath story about greed, manipulation, morality on a cutting edge technological background. Essentially a two-hander with Anthony LaPaglia and David Wenham at the helm, the film resonates as surely as coins jingle in a piggy bank. And piggy the bank is, indeed. Is it about our collective experiences with banks that make us boo and hiss at this corporate villain, and cheer inwardly when it goes down? Who me? Never! If this feeling of 'sympa' makes for interesting film themes, imagine the script potential for stories about speed camera operators, tax collectors, parking fine attendants and so on. Oh, the excitement! But I am getting carried away…. back to The Bank. You can rest assured that you will walk out of the cinema well satisfied. LaPaglia is wicked and very smooth as 'Greed is Good' Simon O'Reilly. His body language, the way his tongue slides menacingly between his lips, coupled with extraordinarily restrained energy, makes him a formidable adversary. My favourite line is 'I'm like God, but with a better suit', but there are many others - 'bastards without borders' is one. I'd be happy to move into Simon O'Reilly's decadent offices or dream pad anytime. Wenham effortlessly coalesces Jim Doyle's deep complexities into a totally accessible package; we like him, we are intrigued but we are never in doubt that there is much more to the character. Writer/director Robert Connolly gives the film a great sense of place, and Melbourne positively sparkles. Striking production design and an elusive score allow the location to be identifiable, but in fact could be anywhere. There's plenty of tension and the final showdown leaves nothing to be desired. The Bank is a ripper.
Louise Keller

There's a moment in The Bank when one of the main characters says "it's quite simple...I just hate banks". It was at that moment I felt the strongest collective swell of agreement I've ever experienced in a cinema. If timing really is everything the stinging satire of The Bank couldn't have arrived at a more opportune moment. Plot and logic-wise, this is a little rocky at times but it's easy to forgive because the idea is so strong, the sentiment so well tuned and we have a wonderfully hissable villain in the shape of Simon O'Reilly. Crackingly played by Anthony LaPaglia, he's the kind of loathsome egomaniac who lectures Jim about "new corporate feudalism, and we are the new princes". You know he's going down in the end and you can't wait for it to happen. Anticipation of the big moment when O'Reilly and Centabank place everything on the line is so strong it smooths over a secondary story that's essential to the plot but not nearly as effectively staged. The trials of Aussie battlers Wayne and his wife don't fit smoothly into the picture until the half way point; eventually coming good in the incident packed final act. A delightful streak of Australian larrikin/anti-authoritarian humour keeps it on the boil and debut writer-director Robert Connelly has done an admirable job with a splendid cast and makes a modestly-budgeted film look much more expensive. His eye for locations and compositions is a major plus in keeping this comic thriller lively and absorbing. Do not expect financial institutions to advertise at cinemas showing this. Do expect a very entertaining 104 minutes watching a fictitious bank getting what the real ones deserve.
Richard Kuipers