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You can give a woman 600 Tuesdays. And it ain’t worth three Saturday nights.
— Zeke teases William Schenk about his marriage[src]

Detective Ezekiel Banks, also known as Zeke, is a fictional character from the Saw franchise. He serves as the main protagonist of Spiral.

He was portrayed by Chris Rock.

Quick Answers

Who are the parents of Detective Ezekiel Banks? toggle section
Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks is the son of Marcus Banks, the former chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. Currently, there is no available information about Zeke's mother.
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What is the relationship between Ezekiel Banks and Peter Dunleavy? toggle section
Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks was the former partner of Officer Peter Dunleavy. Their relationship was strained when Dunleavy fatally shot Charlie Emmerson, a witness who wanted to testify against a corrupt cop. Zeke subsequently reported him to the internal affairs department, leading to Dunleavy's discharge from the police force and his incarceration for nine years. Despite their mutual hatred, Zeke unsuccessfully tries to save Dunleavy when the latter ends up in a deadly trap set up by Charlie Emmerson's son, William.
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Who portrayed the character of Ezekiel Banks in the Saw franchise? toggle section
Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks was portrayed by American actor and comedian Chris Rock in Spiral.
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What impact did Police Chief Marcus Banks' corruption have on Ezekiel Banks? toggle section
By initiating Article 8, a law that assigned extended authority to the Metropolitan Police Department, Chief Marcus Banks provided numerous corrupt cops in his department with an opportunity to easily get away with their crimes, including perjury, bribery, and murder. When his son, Detective Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks, exposed his partner's crimes and thereby drew public attention to the corruption, Zeke's relationship with his father and colleagues was severely strained. This conflict escalated when officers Fitch and Drury denied him backup in a perilous situation, resulting in Zeke being shot. Consequently, Zeke became hardened and isolated from the police department.
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Does Ezekiel Banks die in the movie Spiral? toggle section
Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks survives the events of Spiral.
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Biography[]

Early Life[]

Ezekiel Banks was born to Police Chief Marcus Banks, whose involvement in a conspiracy cover-up had ramifications that affected Ezekiel as an adult. He became a police officer and, later, a homicide detective. (Spiral)

Witnessing Corruption[]

Twelve years prior to the events of Spiral, Zeke was partnered with Peter Dunleavy. He was present when Pete questioned a witness about a dirty cop. Pete shot the witness to cover the dirty cop's tracks and lied that the witness assaulted him. Zeke saw a child hiding in the cabinet and asked him to be silent to avoid Pete's attention. He raised his finger to his lips to shush the boy. Zeke later exposed Pete's crime which led to Pete's expulsion from the police. The corruption within the police force was exposed, which resulted in Zeke being ostracized by the police force, as they labeled him a snitch who turned his back on his "brothers in blue". Officially, he was rewarded with a medal. (Spiral)

Undercover Operation[]

With his fellow officers against him, Zeke became hardened and distanced himself greatly. He refused to work with any new partners and instead investigated murders. He worked an unauthorized drug bust that quickly went south, which led to him being reprimanded by the new police chief and family friend Angie Garza. Garza was angered that he went undercover without any backup, though Banks was sure he couldn't trust anyone. Garza refused to believe that and instead gave him a new partner, an idealistic rookie, though Banks tried to argue against the assignment. He didn't want to babysit someone, though Garza didn't give him a choice. She assigned him, and his new partner, to the homicide division once again. (Spiral)

Investigating Jigsaw's Copycat[]

Spiral Zeke Banks Marv Bozwick Dead Corpse Subway Tunnel

Zeke at Boz's crime scene.

When off-duty detective Marv Bozwick is gruesomely murdered in the subway tunnel, Banks is called to investigate alongside his new partner, Detective In-Training William Schenk. Banks draws similarities between Bozwick's death and the victims of the now deceased Jigsaw Killer. He determines that a man named Benny Wrights lured Bozwick into the tunnels. The dynamic between Banks and Schenk is initially rocky, as Banks is adamantly against the idea of a partner, while Schenk's seemingly optimistic outlook on life annoys Banks. He tries his best to minimize the amount of time they spend together, though the increasing questions surrounding the subway murders makes it difficult. They find the first video tape from the killer, who identifies the murdered man as a police officer. The killer plans to reform the Metro PD and remind them of the oath they took to the city. Schenk, Banks, and Detective Fitch piece together that the Jigsaw Killer has a new copycat.

In his personal life, Zeke navigates a difficult divorce and living with his father, former chief of police Marcus Banks. Marcus learns of the copycat and that Zeke is investigating, but wonders if it will be too much for Zeke being lead detective after everything that happened. He still believes that Zeke made things about himself when he turned in Peter Dunleavy, and again in his marriage. Zeke refuses the fatherly advice and instead goes back to his investigation, which garners little results.

Fitch's Death[]

The Jigsaw Killer delivers a message for Banks warning him that he was offered salvation but declined, so now, he's going to point the finger back at them. Until they all admit their wrongdoings in police investigations, more people will continue to die. Detective Fitch learns that Detective Bozwich was chasing Benny Wrights, disguised as Uncle Sam, and that he lives at a burnt out bread factory. Fitch goes there looking for Benny, but he is abducted and later put into a trap. Said trap required him to rip off his fingers before the water made contact with the exposed wires, or else he would be electrocuted to death. Fitch fails to rip off his fingers in time and is electrocuted to death. Zeke, Will and Kraus then find Fitch's corpse at the location of the crime scene. This raises concern from the other detectives in the precinct, since several years prior, Fitch had failed to respond to a backup call which resulted in Banks being shot. Drury suspects that Banks is involved since both Boz and Fitch had connections to Banks. Schenk, however, agrees with Banks that someone else is pulling the strings and puppet mastering the events around them. William remains the only cop who believes Banks. Now a suspect in his investigation, Banks tries to prove he isn't connected to the murders. He knows that John Kramer didn't murder cops, nor is the new killer taking orders from him. The kills are personal. Schenk's recommendation of finding his non-police enemies is futile. They cross paths with Peter Dunleavy, who warns Schenk that Zeke will stab him in the back if given the chance. Schenk inquired about the exchange, to which Banks explained that his choice to not cover for Dunleavy led him to spend the rest of his life watching his back. (Spiral)

Schenk's Faked Death[]

Spiral Zeke Banks Tim OBrien Butcher Shop 1

Zeke & O'Brien at the meat shop.

A box is later delivered to the station with a taunting note asking Banks if the killer was getting under his skin. Inside the box is a piece of Schenk's skin inside, identified via a distinctive tattoo. Also inside is a vial that directs the new batch detectives to a butcher shop. Banks recognizes the place as a hobby shop that he and his father visited when he was younger. Inside they find a tape recorder and a skinned corpse inside. The corpse is later identified as Schenk. This upsets Banks more then he anticipated, though he begins to piece together clues from the investigation that he doesn't share with the other detectives. (Spiral)

Death of Angie Garza and Abduction[]

When Officer Barrett was at a shop, he was attacked by a Figure in a Pig mask and was stabbed in the arm. He was later found by fellow officers and informed Detective Ezekiel Banks. Barrett's attack was used as a distraction to get the officers out of the precinct so that the killer could capture Captain Angie Garza. Banks realizes she's been abducted and is next on the copycat's kill order, and tries to find her. He doesn't arrive in time and discovers her corpse; her face is covered in wax, while her spinal cord is severed. Her death devastates Banks, but also gives him a lead. He realizes that the killer must know intimate knowledge of the police station to pull off the abduction. Banks also learns that his father, Marcus Banks, is officially missing as no one can locate him. Detective O'Brien suspects that Marcus is working with the copycat killer, causing Zeke to flip out, leading to him being held back by the other officers. Zeke desperately races to the church to confront Dunleavy, suspicious of him being the killer, but he was nowhere to be found. (Unbeknownst to him, Schenk, wearing a pig mask, mostly after abducting Dunleavy, was waiting for him.) He then called his father for the third time, which then went straight to voice mail again, which upsets him. Frustrated over it, he tells him that he had to cover for him because the officers, as well as O'Brien, were asking him questions and he is tired of making excuses for him. Then he asks and demands to know where he is and if he's not telling him everything. Zeke was then abducted by the copycat killer and awakens in a warehouse handcuffed to a pipe. He sees a hacksaw nearby and considers the option of sawing off his arm, per his "test", but doesn't have to when he discovers a loose bobby pin on the floor nearby.

Ezekiel Banks find glass grinder trap

Zeke finds Dunleavy.

As Zeke navigates his escape, he encounters Peter Dunleavy, his former partner who Banks reported for murder, chained in place. A machine hurls crushed shards of glass at him. Banks is horrified to find a tape recorder that gives him a choice to either save Dunleavy, or let him die for his crimes. Banks attempts to save his former partner, though the injuries Dunleavy sustained previously ultimately kills him. (Spiral)

Unmasking the Killer[]

Spiral Zeke Banks Soap Factory 1

Zeke exploring the factory.

Banks moves to another room in the maze, to find William Schenk. Banks is confused for a moment before realizing that Schenk faked his death, having used the skinned corpse of Benny Reitz to do so. Schenk had been the copycat Jigsaw Killer all along, as he sought justice for his murdered father. Peter Dunleavy had murdered Schenk's father, who was willing to testify against a dirty cop. Marcus Bank was responsible for the polices that enabled the corruption to occur, which resulted in Schenk's father dying.

Schenk doesn't want to kill Banks, but rather, wants to recruit him as a partner in punishing corrupt officers. He presents Banks with a final test; shoot a target that will free Marcus from certain death but allows Schenk to escape, or kill Schenk and let Marcus die. Banks examines his options while holding his father's gun, which holds a single bullet. (Spiral)

Marcus Banks' Test[]

Spiral-ending

Zeke witnesses Schenk escape.

Unable to lose his father, Banks shoots the target to free Marcus. He removes the IV that is draining Marcus's blood but refuses to let Schenk escape and attacks him, causing them to fight. A SWAT team arrives but mistakes the situation due to Banks' past with the other victims. They believe Schenk is the one being held captive and aim their weapons at Banks. Marcus is suddenly pulled upwards by wires, as the SWAT team triggered the mechanism by opening the door. Since a gun is affixed to his hand, the team mistakes Marcus for a threat and the SWAT team opens fire. Banks screams in anguish as his father is murdered in front of him. He looks over to see Schenk escaping through an elevator. Schenk raises one finger to his lips to shush Banks like he did to him after his father's murder. Banks lets out an emotional scream as Schenk escapes. (Spiral)

Personality[]

Ezekiel Banks is a humorous man who teases William during their partnership, although he takes the murders seriously. Banks is also shown to be a man of principles. Truly believing in justice and hates corruption, he works arduously, never taking shortcuts or sacrificing others to obtain said justice. He is also extremely intelligent, as he finds connections to himself and the new victims. He often finds leads others don't and sees things differently than most detectives. Instead of taking the obvious escape route of sawing off his arm, Banks looked for another solution and succeeded in freeing himself without the loss of a limb. Despite his open disdain of corrupt cops, he still saves them to the best of his ability, solely because he believes it is the right thing to do.

Trivia[]

  • Chris Rock is the second actor/producer to pitch the story and play a starring role in a Saw movie, the first being Leigh Whannell, who pitched the concept of Saw, wrote the franchise's first three films and starred in the first movie as Adam Stanheight, who came back for a small role in Saw III.
  • Like Adam, Banks had his humorous lines written and/or thought up by the actor who plays him.
  • It is unknown what happened to Banks after his game.

Appearances and References[]

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