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Timeline

The Banker (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2020 · 120 min · English
Echo score 65
JustWatch #21,263 3
Directed by
George Nolfi
Starring
Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Harney, Chris Gann, Nia Long

In 1960s America, Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris, two pioneering entrepreneurs, devise a bold plan to overcome racial discrimination and help African Americans realize their aspirations. They create a covert system, with Eunice playing a crucial role, where Garrett poses as a wealthy businessman while Morris manages operations behind the scenes. Their actions challenge the deeply ingrained prejudices of the era and eventually draw the attention of federal investigators, risking everything to create opportunity for their community.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like The Banker
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Banker (2020)

Where can you watch The Banker? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Apple TV, Amazon Video and Apple TV Store: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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15 events in order · contains spoilers

The Banker Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The Banker (2020) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Bernard's Early Interest in Banking

    In 1939, a young Bernard Garrett develops a fascination with banking while shining shoes outside a local bank. Listening intently to conversations between customers and bankers ignites a passion for finance, despite his father's warnings about the pervasive racism in Texas.

    When
    1939
    Where
    Texas
  2. Bernard Moves to Los Angeles

    By 1954, Bernard Garrett relocates to Los Angeles with dreams of starting a real estate business. He hopes to utilize the savings he earned in Texas to turn his aspirations into reality, eager to overcome the racial barriers he has faced.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Los Angeles
  3. The Gated Community Discovery

    Bernard discovers a gated community two blocks away from a predominantly Black neighborhood, spotting an opportunity to provide rental homes. However, he faces a substantial asking price that threatens to deplete his funds for necessary renovations.

    Where
    Los Angeles
  4. Bernard Partners with Joe

    Enter Joe Morris, a laid-back businessman who contrasts Bernard's serious demeanor. Although Bernard initially hesitates to trust Joe, they negotiate with Patrick Barker, the seller, to purchase the property for $30,000, with plans to improve occupancy.

    Where
    Los Angeles
  5. Renovation and Filling Apartments

    With Joe's help, Bernard manages the renovations while training Matt Steiner to act as their front. As their work progresses, they successfully attract African American tenants to fill the apartments vacated by predominantly white residents.

    Where
    Los Angeles
  6. Partnership with Patrick Barker

    Eventually, Patrick Barker approaches Bernard with a partnership offer, suggesting Bernard remain in the shadows while Patrick takes the public role. They enter mutual investments, until tragedy strikes with Patrick's unexpected death.

    Where
    Los Angeles
  7. Seeking Support After Patrick's Death

    After Patrick's death, Mrs. Barker expresses her reluctance to work with Bernard, offering him significantly less than his investment. Bernard looks for support from a banker but is met with refusal, leaving him in a precarious situation.

    Where
    Los Angeles
  8. New Strategy for Bank Acquisition

    Undeterred by the setbacks, Bernard devises a strategy focused on acquiring a bank. By leveraging his finance knowledge, he plans to invest in properties located in predominantly white areas, with Matt set to assume the role of the 'white' CEO.

    Where
    Los Angeles
  9. Matt's Successful Deal

    With Donald Silverthorne financing their plans, Matt surprises everyone by successfully negotiating the purchase of a $2 million property for only $1.56 million. This deal kickstarts a series of acquisitions, swelling their portfolio to 200 buildings.

    Where
    Los Angeles
  10. Matt's Marriage and Continued Expansion

    Matt marries Susie, a waitress he charms at a diner, and they continue to expand their real estate empire. However, Bernard's ambition leads him back to Texas with hopes of acquiring a bank in a racially divided area, raising Joe's concerns.

    Where
    Texas
  11. Complications Arise in Texas

    In Texas, complications arise as the newly acquired bank's owner secures a position for his son, leading to suspicious activities with loans. Matt suggests moving questionable loans to another bank to avoid scrutiny during audits.

    Where
    Texas
  12. Audit and Discrepancies

    When a treasury official arrives to conduct an audit, Bernard and Joe become alarmed at the emerging discrepancies hinting at non-compliance with banking regulations. Faced with impending consequences, they reluctantly agree to sell problematic loans.

    Where
    Texas
  13. Matt's Scheme for Transactions

    In a desperate attempt to salvage their failing business, Matt suggests fabricating transactions through their original bank, which pushes the boundaries of legality. Their actions, however, lead to the impending closure of their venture by the US government.

    Where
    Texas
  14. FBI Arrest

    As the situation escalates, Bernard and Joe find themselves arrested by the FBI due to various fraudulent activities linked to their banking operations. Meanwhile, Matt, seeking to preserve himself, agrees to a plea deal and testifies against his partners.

    Where
    Texas
  15. Trial and Sentencing

    In 1965, both Bernard and Joe are found guilty by an all-white jury and sentenced to three years in prison. Their empire, once flourishing, crumbles, and Eunice is left with only one remaining building, while Robert Florance, Jr. profits from their downfall.

    When
    1965

Last updated: November 03, 2024 at 21:35

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Timeline questions answered

The Banker Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The Banker (2020): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Bernard and Joe use Matt as a frontman?

Because of the pervasive racial discrimination in 1960s America, Bernard and Joe knew they could not acquire properties or banks in white neighborhoods if they appeared as Black men. By training Matt Steiner, a poor white man, to pose as the wealthy CEO of their empire, they could bypass racist barriers while remaining the actual decision-makers behind the scenes.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Bernard's father warned him that talent wouldn't matter in Texas due to racism, setting up the necessity of this workaround.

  • Matt Steiner
  • frontman
  • racial discrimination
  • front company
Q2

How did the white CEO arrangement help their business?

The arrangement allowed them to enter predominantly white neighborhoods and business dealings that would have been impossible otherwise. Matt posed as the educated, wealthy businessman while Bernard and Joe secretly controlled operations, Bernard as a janitor and Joe as a chauffeur. This enabled them to purchase properties in white areas and eventually acquire banks, creating opportunities for Black tenants and community members.

  • real estate
  • acquisition
  • discrimination
  • business strategy
Q3

Why did Bernard and Joe decide to buy a bank in Texas?

After building a successful real estate empire with 200 buildings in Los Angeles, Bernard wanted to expand into banking to have more direct control over loan accessibility for Black communities. Texas represented both opportunity, due to its large Black population, and personal significance, since Bernard had been born there and witnessed racism firsthand.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Bernard in 1939 Texas, where his father told him racism would block his banking dreams, creating motivation to return and change that system.

  • Texas
  • bank acquisition
  • community empowerment
  • loans
Q4

What went wrong with the bank they acquired in Texas?

The new owner's son secured a position at the bank and began approving questionable loans, creating risky lending practices. When a treasury audit approached, Matt suggested moving these suspicious loans to another bank to hide them, but the situation quickly escalated into full-blown fraud to cover their tracks.

  • audit
  • loans
  • fraud
  • treasury investigation
Q5

Why did Matt testify against Bernard and Joe?

Facing federal charges and potential imprisonment, Matt accepted a plea deal to save himself. He testified against Bernard and Joe in exchange for a reduced sentence, choosing self-preservation over loyalty to the men who had given him his success and education.

  • Matt Steiner
  • plea deal
  • testimony
  • betrayal
Q6

What caused Bernard and Joe to be arrested?

Their scheme collapsed when Matt proposed creating fraudulent transactions through their original bank to cover losses from the problematic Texas loans. These fabrications triggered a federal investigation, leading the FBI to raid their operations and arrest both Bernard and Joe for banking fraud.

  • FBI
  • arrest
  • fraud
  • federal investigation
Q7

Why were they convicted despite their good intentions?

Although their goal was to fight racial discrimination and help Black communities, the jury focused on the technical violations of banking law. Their use of a frontman, fraudulent loan shuffling, and fabricated transactions constituted illegal activity regardless of their motivations, and an all-white jury in 1965 delivered guilty verdicts.

  • trial
  • conviction
  • jury
  • banking law
Q8

What happened to their real estate empire after the trial?

After their 1965 conviction and three-year prison sentences, their empire crumbled. Most of their assets were lost, and only one building remained under Eunice Garrett's name. Meanwhile, Robert Florance, Jr. bought back the bank at a drastically reduced price and profited from their downfall.

  • assets
  • prison
  • losses
  • Robert Florance
Q9

What was the color-blind loan policy and why did it cause trouble?

In Texas, they implemented so-called 'color-blind' loan approvals, meaning they approved loans without considering race. This was meant to fight discrimination, but the bank owner's son exploited this policy to approve risky loans to unqualified borrowers, creating financial problems that later had to be concealed during audits.

  • color-blind loans
  • discrimination policy
  • bank practices
Q10

Why did the government shut down their banks?

The government shut down their banks because of the mounting fraudulent activities they engaged in to cover the bad Texas loans. When the fabricated transactions and illegal loan shuffling were discovered during the treasury audit, federal regulators closed the banks and pursued criminal charges against the perpetrators.

  • bank closure
  • government
  • treasury
  • regulations

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Banker, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Banker tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Strategic undercover justice movies like The Banker

Cunning plans and high-stakes deceptions to fight a corrupt system. If you liked the high-stakes, covert strategy of The Banker, explore more movies where clever protagonists use undercover operations to fight systemic injustice, blending tense drama with thoughtful planning.

  • tense
  • strategic
  • risky
  • ambitious
  • frustrating
  • somber
  • Tone: tense, somber
  • Pacing: steady, strategic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories follow intelligent protagonists who design and execute intricate, often covert, plans to expose or undermine a powerful, unjust system. The narrative typically builds through strategic maneuvers, leading to a climax where their operation is at risk of exposure, often resulting in complex moral and personal consequences.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their shared focus on a methodical, high-risk plot against a formidable opponent, creating a consistent mood of intellectual tension and moral resolve, where success is measured in systemic impact rather than simple victory.

Bittersweet victory dramas like The Banker

Stories where achieving a greater good comes with profound personal sacrifice. For viewers who appreciated the poignant ending of The Banker, this list features movies with bittersweet triumphs where characters achieve their goals but at a significant personal cost, leaving a lasting emotional impact.

  • bittersweet
  • somber
  • frustrating
  • ambitious
  • heavy
  • reflective
  • Tone: bittersweet, heavy
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative arc follows a determined pursuit of a noble goal, leading to a tangible success or legacy. However, the conclusion is deeply layered, as this success is inextricably linked to a major personal loss, such as freedom, relationships, or fortune, creating a poignant and reflective ending.

Why they belong together: These films share a specific emotional journey that balances achievement with sacrifice, resulting in a powerfully bittersweet tone. They resonate with audiences looking for stories that acknowledge the complicated, often painful, reality of fighting for change.

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Every angle

The Banker (2020) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Banker in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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