After spending five years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, 25-year-old Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge) is elated to be back on the football field as a linebacker at Long Beach City College playing the game he loves. But that feeling is shattered when he learns from his probation officer that he must wear an electronic ankle monitor and is prohibited from setting foot on the college campus. Falsely accused of rape as a 16-year old, Brian lost out on a USC scholarship and the possibility of pursuing an NFL career. Now he's fighting to regain the life he dreamed of despite his age and his criminal record. While his mother Leomia (Sherri Shepherd) does her best to lift his spirits, the inability to play the game he truly loves, coupled with the constant rejection he receives when applying for jobs, takes an emotional toll on him.
After seeing a TV news story about lawyer Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear), co-founder of the California Innocence Project (CIP), Brian writes to him with a passionate plea for help. Brooks knows the chances of exoneration are virtually non-existent, but after meeting with Brian and hearing his story, he eventually agrees to take a closer look at the case. During an interview with the CIP lawyers, Brian describes the transformative experience he had while locked in solitary confinement. What saved him from that nightmare was a class he took in juvenile hall with Jerome Johnson (Morgan Freeman), whose wise words helped Brian focus his mental and spiritual energies in a positive way during the worst time of his life. Later, while applying for a job at a local gym, Brian meets Karina (Melanie Liburd), a personal trainer. On a date, he tells her about his wrongful conviction. Her initial discomfort is exacerbated by her own experience as a victim of sexual assault, but as she learns to trust Brian she becomes a source of support and comfort in his struggle to set the record straight. When, out of the blue, Brian's accuser Kennisha (Xosha Roquemore) reaches out to him on social media, he's justifiably afraid. After all, any contact with her is enough to send him straight back to prison. But Brian also sees an opportunity to clear his name if he can get her to recant her accusation on camera, which he miraculously manages to do. Unfortunately, a legal technicality renders the video inadmissible.
Brian is not the kind of person who gives up easily, however. With time running out, he and Brooks make one last attempt to convince the District Attorney to reopen the case and vacate the wrongful conviction before it's too late. An unforgettable true story about the resilience of the human spirit, and a powerful call to reform our broken justice system, Brian Banks is an extraordinary film that will move and inspire audiences with its message of hope and perseverance.
Brian Banks is directed byTom Shadyac Bruce Almighty, The Nutty Professor)from a screenplay by Doug Atchison (Akeelah and the Bee). The film stars Aldis Hodge ("Underground,"HiddenFigures), Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine, As Good as It Gets), Sherri Shepherd (Precious, "30Rock"), Melanie Liburd (This is Us," "Gypsy") and Xosha Roquemore ("The Mindy Project," "I'm Dying Up Here").