Brian Banks Movie Review | Brian Banks Movie | Brian Banks

This all happened to Banks. This does happen to people. But as we as a society continue to navigate the tidal wave of the #MeToo movement, with women’s voices ringing out louder and clearer than ever before, a feel-good story about a man overcoming a wrongful rape accusation just feels sort of ...icky, maybe? It certainly seems off in terms of timing and tone. We are finally believing women when they tell their stories of surviving abuse, and along comes a film that perpetuates some of the most heinous myths and misconceptions about rape: that an accuser is merely making up a story to protect her reputation, avenge hurt feelings or shake someone down for a big payday.

And yet, this rare drama from Shadyac—who made his name with high-concept Jim Carrey comedies like “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “Liar Liar” and “Bruce Almighty” but significantly changed his life following a serious bicycle accident in 2007—is solidly crafted and obviously well intentioned. Because the script from Doug Atchison jumps back and forth and time, it allows for some moments of legitimate suspense and doesn’t necessarily hit all the beats you might expect. But the smartest move of all was casting Aldis Hodge as Banks. Hodge (“Straight Outta Compton,” “Hidden Figures”) has a naturalism about him that’s wholly engaging and he’s calibrated his character’s rage to make it register without cresting over the top into melodrama. Playing Banks over the course of more than a decade, Hodge consistently makes the movie compelling, even when it veers toward a safe, faith-based uplift.

Banks was a standout linebacker at powerhouse Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, Calif., when he agreed to sneak off with a classmate (whose name has been changed) and fool around in a faraway nook during summer school. While he stopped their make-out session before it got too intimate, she later claimed he dragged her down a quiet hallway past several packed classrooms full of students before assaulting her. Her motivations come to light over the course of the film, but with the exception of one moment of truth, Xosha Roquemore is stuck playing her as the most distasteful kind of ghetto stereotype.

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