Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger review – Rory Kinnear returns in likeable underdog tale

Now comes the inevitable sequel, Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger, which repeats the formula to similar effect.

Again, Rory Kinnear (whose role as MI6’s Bill Tanner in the Daniel Craig-era James Bond movies is threatening to be eclipsed by his turn here) is back as Dave, alongside several key supporting cast members.

Bank of Dave screenwriter Piers Ashworth and director Chris Foggin (who previously teamed up on another true-life heart-warmer, Cornish yarn Fisherman’s Friends) are also returnees.

As such, Bank of Dave 2 doesn’t stray too far from what made the first film so likeable. So don’t expect it to reinvent its own wheel here.

Again, the film is inspired by a documentary that charted the protagonist’s crusading adventures, 2014’s Dave: Loan Ranger, in which he tackled the pernicious and very real threat of pay-day loan companies that prey on vulnerable and desperate people, lending them money at extortionate interest rates.

Set two years on from the original, the story takes us back to Burnley – or "the centre of the bloody universe", as Dave calls his Lancashire home – although it does look to expand its scope to America, no doubt a nod to the fact Bank of Dave did well on Netflix’s US platform.

When Dave gets tipped off, he’s soon in touch with New York journalist Jessica (Chrissy Metz), who has written articles already on American pay-day loan companies, which are now operating in the UK.

With Jessica hot-footing it to Dave’s town – taking in a cultural visit to Turf Moor, home of Burnley FC – so begins this dynamic duo’s attempt to pin down these loan sharks. Chief among them is slimy operator Carlo Mancini (Rob Delaney), the villain of the piece.

Still, Dave is warned by his wife, Nicola (Jo Hartley), "You’re not Paul Newman and you’re not Tom Cruise," a nod to the Hollywood icons’ performances in legal dramas The Verdict and A Few Good Men, respectively.

Once again, Dave becomes the target of a dirty tricks campaign, thanks to Mancini and his high-powered lawyers, while Kinnear’s character is styled as the classic working-class hero, "an ordinary bloke standing up for ordinary people".

He and Jessica do get help in the most unexpected ways – and not just returning banker Sir Charles (Hugh Bonneville) or Dan Fogler’s American detective. Yes, Fishwick’s favourite band, Sheffield rockers Def Leppard, who appeared in the finale of Bank of Dave, are back to assist when it's most needed.

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Throughout, the performances are solid – from the ever-dependable Kinnear to Amit Shah, as a Citizens Advice employee, to Delaney, who dials it back to ensure he doesn’t come across as too dastardly.

Once again, there’s plenty of karaoke – Dave even singing the Def Leppard classic Pour Some Sugar on Me – which adds to the fun.

True, it’s not a film that pushes the medium, but underlying it is a very serious topic, smartly presented in a way that never feels too forced.

While the story stretches credulity in the final act, fans of the original will surely get a kick out of seeing Dave stick it to the money men once more.

Bank of Dave 2 is streaming on Netflix from Friday 10th January 2025.

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