COVID-19 Special: 'The Banker' (12)

Director: George Nolfi

Cast: Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult

Where can I watch?: The Banker is streaming on Apple TV+

Rating: 4/5

Review: Based on the real-life story of two black businessmen taking on America's systemic racism through real estate ownership, Apple Original's The Banker sees Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson (at his most Samuel L. Jackson, minus the 'motherf*cking snakes on this motherf*cking plane') form a delightfully entertaining chalk-and-cheese relationship, with Nicholas Hoult as their white third wheel. Directed by George Nolfi and boasting a handful of screenwriters, the film wastes no time in establishing Bernard Garrett (Mackie) and Joe Norris (Jackson) as a force to be reckoned with, their Los Angeles property repertoire booming with the help of Matt Steiner (Hoult) as their customer-facing ally. The rags-to-riches scenes in which the hapless Steiner is made into a golf-loving, number-crunching, four-course-lunch-eating businessman possess all the charm of Eliza Doolittle's transformation, but it's clear that their attempts to play the system won't last forever, especially when they turn their attention towards Texas. By no means is The Banker groundbreaking, yet what it lacks in narrative creativity, it makes up for in humanity, with the blossoming relationships between the three protagonists drawn believably and sensitively.

A COVID-19 Must-Watch?: In terms of narrative, The Banker certainly doesn't add anything new to the genre, but a deft script and charismatic trio of actors raise it above average fare. It looks excellent too, with sharp suits, glossy cars and sumptuous, timely interiors providing added appeal by the bucket load. Entertaining and insightful, The Banker pays a touching homage to Bernard Garrett and Joe Norris' pioneering fight for equality, with a couple of Sam Jackson idiosyncrasies thrown in for good measure.

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'Eternals' (12A)

Director: Chloé Zhao Cast: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jolie Where can I watch?: Eternals is in cinemas and available to stream on Disney+ Rating: 2.5/5 Review: When watching a Marvel film, you must suspend some level of disbelief to fully enjoy it. However, Eternals really does push the boat too far. I'm all for a bit of fantasy and a splash of sci-fi, but I found myself drawing the line at big red robot things floating around in space - and I'm not even going to try to explain (or remember!) everything else that was revealed during this strangely boring, yet rather beautiful, superhero experience. Chloé Zhao, fresh from her Best Director win, helms the 26th film (yes, really) in the Marvel franchise, but she fails to make any sort of impact. At times, it feels as though we're veering towards something of a character study, but unfortunately all the characters are painfully shallow and one-dimensional, making the 'intimate' tal...

'The Last Duel' (18)

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'Jojo Rabbit' (12A)

***** Stuck at home after injuring himself at a Hitler Youth weekend, Jojo discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their house. The words 'comedy' and 'Nazis' are hardly bedfellows, and yet director/screenwriter Taika Waititi has somehow created a film that features both. Without doubt, it's a highly controversial movie, with Joker levels of division already popping up across the internet - even I have to admit that laughing at the opening montage in which a young boy practises his 'Heil, Hitler' felt quite uncomfortable - but I'd argue that this charming little oddity is probably the film we all need right now. Cards on the table - the film never laughs at the atrocities the Nazis committed. In fact, we see the world through Jojo's (delightful newcomer Roman Griffin Davis) eyes - a crazy, confusing place that's made all the more bizarre by the presence of his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi). Dubbed ...

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