DVD Review: The Education of Charlie Banks

By Fused Film Staff • July 14, 2009 • 1 Comment

The Education of Charlie Banks is a 2007 independent film directed by Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst. This is Durst’s directorial debut. The film stars Jesse Eisenburg who plays the role of Charlie Banks, a responsible but socially aware student. During a high school party, Charlie (Eisenberg) witnesses a brutal assault by Mick (Jason Ritter) on two high school jocks. Charlie believes that Mick should be arrested and reports Mick to the police. Years later, Mick shows up at Charlie’s university and inserts himself into the life of a college student. As Mick invades Charlie’s life by sleeping with his dream girl and wonders how life would have been if he went to college. Charlie ponders if Mick knows the truth of Charlie’s confession to the police years before.

I heard of this movie a few years ago when Fred Durst announced that he was directing a film. Years passed and I figured that this movie would never see the light of the day either in theatres or as a DVD release. Fast forward to June 30, 2009 and it is finally released on DVD. The movie itself is an intense story of a kid that thinks that he is doing the right thing but fears the repercussion of such a noble act. I found myself getting immersed in Charlie’s world. I felt afraid for Charlie at times because the audience knows as much as Charlie knows about Mick. Charlie is the responsible kid who knows what he wants to do in life but also wants to lead a good life. When you first meet Mick, he is that typical bully that most people are afraid to cross to avoid retaliation. Jason Ritter plays Mick in an extreme way. It is a very convincing role and I found myself tensing up whenever Mick was onscreen with Charlie. Charlie’s best friend, Danny (played by Chris Marquette) strives to be a mix of Charlie’s innocence and Mick’s toughness. This leaves Danny as a middle man between most arguments and conversations between Charlie and Mick. As the film progresses, we find out about the true motives of Mick and why he really showed up.

The DVD falls short on special features. It consists of an audio commentary track by director Fred Durst and actor Jason Ritter. It also has a featurette titled “Conversations Behind The Education of Charlie Banks” and a trailer for the movie as well as sneak peeks.

Overall, this film was really good. The movie kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. You never got a sense of what Mick really knew or wanted from Charlie until the film’s final moments.

Total Score: 7 out of 10

Read more from Fused Film Staff >>

Be the first to like.

like this post?

(unlike)