Netflix viewers are split over the streaming service’s latest top-ranking film, a sequel to the 2023 British hit Bank of Dave.
The original film was loosely based on the true story of Dave Fishwick, a millionaire from Burnley who establishes a community bank to aid local businesses.
Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger was released on Netflix this week, and follows Fishwick (played by Rory Kinnear) in his fight against payday lenders.
The film rose immediately to the top of Netflix’s most-watched charts, but responses from viewers on social media have been mixed.
Many praised the film, as well as its positive social messaging.
One person wrote on X/Twitter: “Well it’s not often that lightning strikes twice, but with Bank of Dave 2, it most certainly has! Let me be crystal clear, this film is BRILLIANT! What a tremendous actor Rory Kinnear is.”
Another tagged Fishwick himself, commenting: “Watching Bank of Dave 2. It’s fabulous. Perfect snow day viewing! Thank you!”
“Netflix absolutely smashed it out the park with Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger,” someone else remarked. “Keep on pushing for the change Dave, you’re making a massive difference hopefully we’ll see Bank of Dave 3 next year.”
Others, however, were less impressed by the follow-up, with one viewer writing: “For those that might watch Bank of Dave 2... don’t. You’ll never get the 90 minutes back.”
Reviews have also been middling, with The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin writing: “Is it wrong to hope for a crumb or two of panache, even in a film which wears its salt-of-the-earthiness on its sleeve? Ken Loach-style didactic social realism is all well and good, but Loan Ranger looks as if it was shot on a block of processed cheese and written with a bucket and mop.”
The Guardian, meanwhile, awarded the film three stars, with critic Cath Clarke writing: “Like the first film, Bank of Dave 2 is predictable and cliché-ridden but gets by on likable, heartfelt performances, and the knowledge that in real life some of this stuff actually happened.”
Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger is available to stream now on Netflix.
