Brian Banks (2018)

A football player's dreams to play in the NFL are halted when he is wrongly convicted and sent to prison. Years later, he fights to clear his name within an unjust system.

Director:

Tom Shadyac

Writer:

Doug Atchison

Stars:

Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear, Sherri Shepherd

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aldis Hodge	...	Brian Banks
Greg Kinnear	...	Justin Brooks
Sherri Shepherd	...	Brian's Mom, Leomia
Melanie Liburd	...	Karina Cooper
Tiffany Dupont	...	Alissa Bjerkhoel
Xosha Roquemore	...	Kennisha Rice
Mystie Smith	...	Marilyn
Jose Miguel Vasquez	...	Deputy District Attorney Mateo
Dorian Missick	...	Officer Mick Randolph
Monique Grant	...	Kennisha's Mother
Matt Battaglia	...	Pete Carroll
Michael Franti	...	Michael Franti
Kevin Yamada	...	Judge Monk
Thursday Farrar	...	Barbara Ford
Zeus Luby	...	Corey Diego

Storyline

The inspirational true story of Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge), an All-American high school football star committed to USC who finds his life upended when he is wrongly convicted of a crime he didn't commit. Despite lack of evidence, Banks is railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | two word title | prison | american football | los angeles california | 

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Taglines:

Falsely accused. Wrongfully convicted. Never defeated.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic content and related images, and for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The majority of this movie was taped in Memphis, Tennessee but there was a part in this film, specifically at the 11:16 mark of the film where you can clearly see that that part of the film was taped in Los Angeles. As Greg Kinnear and Aldis Hodge were coming out of a building you can see in the distance a green Culver City bus making a right turn onto another city street. Culver City buses operate only the west and southwestern areas of Los Angeles which includes Westwood, Inglewood, Marina Del Rey, Playa Vista, Santa Monica, Palms, and etc.

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Goofs

Brian Banks did, in fact, play for the Atlanta Falcons in 2013. However, he did not make the final 53-man roster and was released before the regular season began.

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Quotes

Jerome Johnson: Two men look out from prison bars, one saw mud, the other the stars. Perspective, gentlemen. Perspective is the key to how one fares in life.

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Soundtracks

I'm Free
Written by Brandon Stewart, Cheapshot (as Colton Fisher), Jason Rabinowitz, Cameron Marygold, Jordyn Shankle, Brayden Deskins, and Isaac Lucas
Performed by Taylor Hill feat. Jordyn Kane
Courtesy of The Math Club

User Reviews

Great biopic, but it had its flaws.

The writing was a little bland with its flat, formulaic-style story-telling, and the pacing too slow, that the normally decent 99 min runtime felt much longer. Directing was ok, but I expected more from Tom Shadyac. I guess a long hiatus does flaw some of the skills. The soundtrack wasn't anything special, and the score felt out of place and cheap in some scenes.

Kinnear, Liburd and Roquemore's performances were the only stand-outs imo, the rest of the cast was adequate, but I wasn't too impressed with Hodge's performance, unless of course his bland demeanor was portraying the real Brian Banks. During the ending credits, I will say how uncanny the resemblance was between most of the actors and the people they were portraying.

Nevertheless, it was a great biopic on a serious issue with some tear-jerking moments in the end. It certainly isn't a 9 or 10/10, so ignore those fake reviews the producers felt they needed. It is a solid 7-8/10 film, but gets only my 7 for annoying me with the obviously phony reviews. Would I see it again? Nope. Would I recommend it? Of course.

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram page Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brian Banks

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,156,272, 11 August 2019

Gross USA:

$4,376,819

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,376,819

Company Credits

Production Co:

ShivHans Pictures, Gidden Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1