‘Bank Of Dave 2’ Movie Ending Explained & Full Story: Was Carlo Mancini Arrested?

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Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger is a sequel to the 2023 film, which is based on a true story revolving around a businessman-turned-banker, Dave Fishwick, who started his own financial institution with the intention of helping secure loans for those who find it hard to get one from multinational banks. The hardships Dave faced at the hands of the established bankers and how he surpassed their influence to start the ‘Bank of Dave’ was the crux of the first film. The Loan Ranger, the second film, is based on Dave’s relentless fight to save people from getting into insurmountable debt as he goes after loan sharks.

Spoilers Ahead


How did Dave know of the payday loan scheme?

The movie began with Dave Fishwick, a man popular in England for starting his own bank, “Bank of Dave,” who was on a media tour to talk about his banking institution and explain his motives behind starting it. He wanted to financially help people without burdening them with a lot of debt, unlike the big profit-driven banks. During his bank’s promotional interviews at a radio station, Dave came across a caller who talked about payday loan companies like Quik Dough and SnapCash that targeted people after loaning them barely 500 to 600 quids, asking for loans to be repaid with high interest. The caller’s concern distressed Dave, and he wanted to get into the matter to find out who these payday loans were. 

Dave was a man of the people, and he wanted to find out as much as he could about payday loan schemes, and the only person who knew about the subject was Oliver. He worked for Citizens Advice, an NGO that handled many grievances regarding the same concern. Oliver could not help them, since the regulations regarding the payday loans were lenient and the companies took advantage of that. He understood the gravity of the situation and let Dave know about his friend, Zoe, whose mother was struggling to pay back her loan as the interest was too high, and these companies would send goons to get money from her. 


Why did Dave contact Jessica?

Dave had to get to the bottom of this matter, since it involved helping people in debt. The only route he knew was to approach the media, who would help him dig deeper, and hopefully a published article about these schemes would get the attention of the government as well. Instead of approaching an English journalist, he contacted New York-based Jessica, who worked for the Financial Times. Jessica was intrigued by the offer, but she had to put it on hold as she was working on her own piece on cryptocurrency. Jessica was working on a contract basis, and her employer asked her to do a human interest story, and she put forward Dave’s story on payday loans and their victims in the UK, which was approved almost immediately. 

Jessica, on reaching the UK, admitted that in the US, payday loan companies were highly regulated; as a result, many of them closed down. The UK was their new target, as the companies had found a loophole in the system that benefitted them and made the customers miserable. Dave, Jessica, and Oliver’s research brought them to Carlo Mancini, a notorious criminal whose company, Coleridge Financial Services, was Quik Dough and SnapCash’s parent company operating from New Jersey. 


How did Carlo retaliate?

Dave had begun a full-blown television campaign against the payday loan schemes started by these companies, as he felt it was his responsibility to safeguard the people and their hard-earned money. Dave’s media appearances began to bother Carlo’s law firm, headed by Margot Stockton in the UK, who served Bank of Dave a cease and desist order. This was a power play to let him know Carlo had the influence to shut them down. Margot also ordered her team to create shell companies and transfer money to Bank of Dave to make it look as if Dave Fishwick started his institution using black money. This power play did have an effect on Dave, as he, along with his team, began to work on a resolution to put Carlo on the back foot. 


What was ‘Loan Ranger’ all about?

Oliver and Jessica were spending every passing hour trying to get in touch with the victims of Quik Dough and SnapCash and most of them were not willing to speak to the media, fearing backlash at the hands of Carlo. Most of them heard of Dave being served by Carlo, and hence they were not keen on giving up their names. 

Oliver and Jessica came up with the idea of Dave approaching the victims of this dreadful debt scheme and offering to pay their loans back in a show format. The show would be called ‘Loan Ranger,’ a wordplay on a lone ranger who works alone. It also could be a reference to movies and television shows featuring ‘the Lone Ranger.’ This was Dave’s crusade for justice, since people and their money were at stake, and he wanted to find a way to put an end to these schemes. The repayment method was difficult, as mentioned by many victims, Dave would record and televise his journey of paying off their loans to highlight Quik Dough and SnapCash’s flawed system. 

Once again, Dave took to television to let people know about the multinational companies and their flawed system, which allowed them to take advantage of the destitute who lost a lot of their livelihood. Just like the others, Dave could not pay the loan as expected, and this was televised across the UK to let people know about the scam run by the payday loan companies. Jessica was also appalled by the lenient regulations and the members of parliament not being able to do anything for the people because of the loopholes in place. Dave’s biggest supporter, MP Andrew Stephens, was helpless until they had solid evidence that would allow them to take legal action against these payday loan companies. 


What was Dave being accused of?

Carlo Mancini and Margo were fed up with Dave’s campaign to malign their companies in the UK and decided to take him to court. They claimed that Dave’s bank was funded by illegal activities and that it routed the black money through shell companies. Carlo and Margot’s plan was to bleed them dry by stretching the legal matter once it goes to the court. Dave’s “Loan Ranger” was a success, yet it was not enough to help them counter Carlo legally. 


Did Carlo win the court case?

Dave thankfully was approached by his rival Charlie, one of the frontrunners who opposed ‘Bank of Dave.’ Charlie had someone from Carlo’s team who was willing to testify against the criminal. It was not explained why the said man was willing to go against his employer, but this was a smoking gun for Dave and his team. They were looking for a way to find any evidence that would prove Carlo was a criminal and that many of his holdings ran on black money. The said lawyer from Margot’s firm came forward to testify with evidence to prove that money from Carlo’s criminal activities was used to fund the Coleridge Financial Services and the law firm as well. This put Carlo and Margot on the back foot, and to save face, they had to pull out from the case filed against Dave. The judge, however, had to get involved since there was mention of black money from criminal activities being poured into banking institutions. 


Why were Dave and Nicky in America?

Margot and Carlo were on the radar of the law enforcement of the UK, and Andrew Stephens wanted to use this to help Dave with sorting the payday loan companies. Around that time, Jessica had to move back to America as her employer, the Financial Times, offered her a pay rise along with a renewed contract, provided she worked on a new story. Jessica had to take the offer since it would accelerate her career, but it also meant abandoning Dave’s crusade, which Oliver was deeply invested in. Oliver and Jessica had grown closer over her brief period in the UK, and her moving away was heartbreaking for both. 

Dave, however, decided to head to America as the law enforcement in the UK had decided to start the process of extraditing Carlo in the UK and make him stand trial for the fraud he committed in the country. Dave wanted to serve Carlo himself as a result of the vendetta he had against the criminal for going after his honest bank he’d developed for the welfare of the people. Jessica was informed about Dave and Nicky’s plan to visit America. She was excited to know Dave had been successful so far in his campaign, and hopefully Carlo would be facing some jail time if he was to be arrested. 


Was Dave’s life in danger?

Jessica had become fast friends with Dave and Nicky and offered to help them locate Carlo with the help of her ex-boyfriend, Detective Adams. Jessica was invested in this case right from the start, and so far everything was working as per Dave’s plan. She was appalled by the amount of people who were hoodwinked by Carlo and hoped the man was brought to justice. Detective Adams turned out to be a good officer who did not think twice before helping Jessica and her new friends. However, the events were unfolding too quickly in the United States, as if Carlo was offered to Dave on a platter. It was hard to believe Dave did not have any bureaucratic obstacle in the form of corrupt cops trying to stop him from serving Carlo.

Dave was informed about Carlo’s regular spot, an Italian restaurant. The place was probably funded by the criminal, and all the employees were his loyalists as well. Dave was at the restaurant with his team when Carlo arrived, and at the same time, Detective Adams offered backup support in case the criminal reacted violently. Dave served Carlo without any hesitation. He had to be courageous enough to face the criminal, and to celebrate this move, he had planned to attend a Def Leppard concert. This was a callback to the first film, which ended with the famous rock band supporting Dave Fishwick and his campaign to start his own bank. Dave was good friends with the band’s manager, and as an extension, he was friends with the band members as well. Dave was indeed in danger, and there was a chance he would be killed for speaking up against the criminal. Carlo and his men only knew to threaten or to kill, and that would send out a message to their other customers, who wouldn’t approach any higher authority to file a complaint about their method of operating. 


Was Carlo Mancini arrested?

Dave was afraid, and the only way out was to head to the Def Leppard concert. He hoped the VIP entrance would keep him away from the crowd since it would not expose him to the possibility of being shot by Carlo’s men. All of them were backstage and learned from Detective Adams about Carlo’s men outside the stadium as they tracked Dave’s phone to the location. This mishap took place when Dave used his number at the Italian restaurant. Danger was right around the corner, and Dave was out of ideas on how to get out of the arena without harming himself and his team. This was a rather peculiar situation; however, they forgot Def Leppard had security and private jets that could help them get out of the venue. This was a rather silly yet effective solution to Dave’s problem. 

The build-up in the film was excellent, yet the ending made the problem look like something out of a book about teenage children. The solution was effective, yet the Hallmark movie treatment was a letdown. Def Leppard, the band, suggested this idea, and they were sure it was foolproof and safe. This was nothing but a brand induction of the famous rock band of the eighties. Dave was placed inside one of the instrument boxes to avoid being tracked, and our guess is the phone would stay back in the arena to mislead Carlo’s men. The plan worked well, and Dave was out of the box in no time. The whole escape sequence didn’t come across as plausible, so it was hard to buy. Dave was flown back to the UK safely, but the movie decided to take the fictionalized route by including the band as a part of the rescue mission.

Bank of Dave 2 ended with Dave safely back in his hometown of Burnsley. This was a while after his return from the United States after serving legal notice to Carlo. Dave was happy with his journey so far, especially with the happy news of Quik Dough and SnapCash being shut down by the UK officials. Dave had the backing of the MPs and fellow bankers who wanted to work for the betterment of the people. Also, the possibility of MNC banks wanting to put an end to their competition was high. They chose to back Dave’s plan to get people like Carlo out of the UK so that the homegrown bankers could take advantage of the rules and loopholes for their benefit. Dave was not like the other bankers, as he started his own financial institution for the people and not his own pockets. The last shot of the film had Dave inviting Def Leppard to his regular karaoke bar and singing for the people of Burnley. This was Dave’s way to celebrate his triumph. He wanted to thank the people of the town for backing him from the start, and inviting Def Leppard using his contact was the best gift he would give back to his townspeople. 

Bank of Dave 2’s end credits show the original footage of the video recorded by Dave Fishwick for his campaign against payday loan companies that aired on television in the year 2014. This also indicates Dave was a resilient man who would go to any extent to help people from being exploited.


Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan is a cinema enthusiast, and a part time film blogger. An ex public relations executive, films has been a major part of her life since the day she watched The Godfather – Part 1. If you ask her, cinema is reality. Cinema is an escape route. Cinema is time traveling. Cinema is entertainment. Smriti enjoys reading about cinema, she loves to know about cinema and finding out trivia of films and television shows, and from time to time indulges in fan theories.


 

 

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