BRIAN BANKS: A Fumbled Take On An Incredible Story

The truth is oftentimes better than fiction. And there’s no doubt that the true story of Brian Banks is one that needs to be told. At 16, Brian was a standout high school linebacker who was on his way to playing at USC and likely the NFL. When he was falsely accused of rape by one of his classmates and coerced into taking a bad plea, Brian spent six years in jail and spent three more on parole. He also had to register as a sex offender.

Unable to find a job, play for his local community college or even leave his county, Brian Banks (played by Aldis Hodge) starts fighting to clear his name. He attempts to enlist the help of Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project. At first denied, Brian doesn’t give up. He takes matters into his own hands, eventually winning Brooks over and taking his fight for freedom to court.

Make no mistakes, the story of Brian Banks is as important as they come. A man’s life and dreams were taken from him, his freedom snatched because of a system that fails young black men. But like Banks says, “The system is just made up of people.” Brian Banks is the epitome of perseverance and not resting until you find justice. As incredible and moving as his true story is, Brian Banks the movie fumbles its opportunity to tell the story in a meaningful way.

The film tries so hard to be deep and meaningful that it ends up falling flat and feeling corny. From the screenplay to the acting and editing, it simply lacks the subtlety needed to let the true story shine. That’s not to say you won’t be moved by the story of Brian Banks – it’s hard not to be. But you’ll walk out feeling like the movie version of the truth lies somewhere between a PSA to show a high school class and an ad for the California Innocence Project.

Yes, the truth is often better than fiction. But in the case of Brian Banks it would be better told as a documentary than a bland retelling.

A story told with the heaviest of hands

Brian Banks the man is an amazing human. The lengths he went to not just to clear his name but eventually find his way back to achieving his dreams are no small achievement. And while Hodge tries valiantly to recapture his spirit, it comes off as too much when almost every line is some deep, revelatory comment like “Sometimes you have to walk further into the darkness to find the light.”

It’s also unfair for director Tom Shadyac to ask Hodge to play a character at age 16 and at age 27. Across the board, the screenplay and acting feel like they are trying too hard to be deep, so it overpowers and washes a lot of the character away from the true story. When you have a meaningful and inspirational speech so often, they all lose their weight. Lines like “What’s that thing called again? A writ of what?” when Banks first hears about a writ of habeas corpus feel like they’re lifted straight from an after school special.

According to my count, Brian Banks features five different montages. Each of them are wholly unneeded and make a 97 minute film feel closer to two hours. Combine that with very glaring moments for the California Innocence Project, like big bold letters that say “Follow @JustinBrooks” on a white board behind him, and it all makes for something that just feels inauthentic. Rather than turn the movie into an obvious ad for the CIP, it should just exist to how improbable Brian Banks’ story is and just how much we should be celebrating his getting justice.

Seeing the system fail is still moving

None of that is to say that Brian Banks isn’t still moving. It is – especially at the end. Thankfully, the story still shines through enough to hit you on an emotional level. Injustice still exists all around us. Especially with race and sexual misconduct at the forefront of society today, Brian Banks is as relevant as ever. His story isn’t one that feels like a one-off mistake or something we’ve corrected as a society.

In fact, what feels rare about his situation is how he was able to overcome it. The system, at every step, was set up for him to fail in his attempt. He needed to risk going back to jail to get new evidence – the court can’t even reexamine old evidence that proves his innocence. His parole officer puts every roadblock in his way as well. And that’s where Brian Banks does work. It’s one thing to see the system in a cop procedural like “Law & Order,” but to know how it actually affected one innocent man is something else. It’s much more real, even if the movie itself doesn’t show it in the best way.

Brian Banks: Stopped short of a first down

Brian Banks is an incredible true story that should have been turned into a documentary. As much as I wanted to like this and was moved by the story, it’s frustrating how hard the story digs to find meaning that is right there on the surface. Because it’s told with such a heavy hand, it’s hard to buy into Brian Banks as more than a PSA and cautionary tale about our justice system. Despite all of this, Brian Banks is moving, even if only because the true story is so astonishing.

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