My BRUTALLY HONEST REVIEW of BANK OF DAVE 2: THE LOAN RANGER!

Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger comes with a warning… The first voice and face you see and hear belongs to that of major UK irritant Alison Hammond. She appeared on Big Brother 3, in 2002, jumped up and down on a table, broke and went through it, and has never left our screens.

I have absolutely no idea why she’s still there.

However, the purpose she allegedly shares, here, is for an apparent interview on ITV’s magazine programme, This Morning, alongside Dermot O’Leary.

As the film proper begins, though, the screenplay just feels like it’s explaining the basics in as much plot exposition as possible. Not everyone has heard about payday loan companies, so when a Dave’s friend, Oliver (Amit Shah – Paddington In Peru), is explaining it, it’s all spoken about in such bland and overexplanatory terms.

I know that Netflix has to cover every outlet in the world, but for a practice that began over 10 years ago and has largely been ruled out, it does rather feel like they’re bleating it from a pamphlet, as opposed to two mates having a basic conversation.

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Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger continues to feel a bit plot-by-numbers, such as when US journalist Jessica (Chrissy Metz) is invited to the UK, by Dave, to look into the payday lenders scandal. After a long trip by plane, he immediately takes her to see hometown Burnley for five minutes, before dropping her off at her hotel, and then expecting her to be all fresh-faced the very next morning. I’d have jetlag for weeks!

This film also seems to be mostly fictional. They take the basic premise that we already know, but through in a fictional US correspondent, falsely accuse Dave Fishwick of money laundering, while you can tell payday loan company boss Carlo Mancini (Rob Delaney – Deadpool And Wolverine) is evil, because the actor has a moustache and is unshaven.

Unfortunately, what we’re left with is an incredibly bland by-the-numbers film that’s all so predictable, including a fictional romance which is thrown in to eek out the running time, as is a fictional court case and the appearance of Def Leppard, who were never involved in any of this!

Additionally, when it shows Dave wanting to take on the debts of everyone who’ve been screwed over by these companies, that would surely just sink him?! And by the sounds of reality, he only did this for three people in total, anyway.

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Now, I might say something that shocks you, but I never got round to watching the first film, from January 2023. However, I saw the original documentaries with Mr Fishwick on Channel 4 at the time, along with countless interviews, so I’m well aware with all the positive things for which he stands.

However, that film also featured a fictional court case and the appearance of Def Leppard, so… Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger comes across as just a rehash, and feels like the original was put through an AI program and now we’re seeing the result. Even if you just wanted a ‘feel-good film’, this is just a lazy attempt. Come on, guys, you can do better than this!

Even Rory Kinnear (No Time To Die), as Fishwick, just feels like he’s taking a busman’s holiday on this one, turning up to cash the paycheque. I wonder if he put it in Dave’s bank?

Then again, the ‘Bank of Dave’ is not actually a bank. It’s actually Burnley Savings And Loans, but Dave Fishwick puts “Bank of Dave” atop the outside of the building.

The film is rated 12, because of a couple of f-words thrown in by Delaney’s character. This is often done to take a film out of the PG certificate area, so Americans will watch it, but they served absolutely no purpose being there, along with any, brief and mild PG-rated swears, so should’ve just been left out altogether.

There is NO mid- or post-credits scene.

Thanks to our friends at Netflix for the screener prior to release.

Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger is on Netflix from today, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. However, once announced, it will appear on the New DVD Blu-ray 3D and 4K releases UK list.

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Check out the trailer below:

Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger – Official Trailer – Netflix

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Detailed specs:

Cert:
Running time: 100 minutes
Release date: January 10th 2025
Studio: Netflix
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Score: 1/10

Director: Chris Foggin
Producers: Lauren Cox, Karl Hall, Piers Tempest
Screenplay: Piers Ashworth
Music: Christian Henson

Cast:
Dave Fishwick: Rory Kinnear
Detective Adams: Dan Fogler
Sir Charles: Hugh Bonneville
Nicky Fishwick: Jo Hartley
Jessica: Chrissy Metz
Bev: Samantha Power
David: Pearce Quigley
Oliver: Amit Shah
Carlo Mancini: Rob Delaney
Margot: Leila Farzad
Miles Thornton: George Rainsford
Sal: Ashley Tabatabai
Matt: Calvin Dean
Justice James Wellesley: Bill Blackwood
Mary: Fionnuala Milligan
Def Leppard: Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, Vivian Campbell, Rick Allen

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