Hansie: A True Story

I was never a great Hansie fan, mainly because I am not that interested in sports. However, it is a intriguing story and I decided to watch the DVD to hopefully learn more of the story than what was generally published in the main stream media.

In short, except for some nice camera work, the movie was a serious disappointment in just about every other aspect.

Although Frank Rautenbach probably delivered the best performance so far of his career, I am not hopeful that he will ever be in the league of Marius Wyers or Gys de Villiers for example. I would say this is the very minimum that one can expect from a professional actor.

Why they decided to use the American actress, Sarah Thompson to play the role of Bertha, is not clear. We have more than enough pretty blond local actresses that could fill this position perfectly. She was insipid to say at the least and her accent was a major disturbance. I could not else but to wonder what the real Bertha is like.

The movie totally fails to keep one's attention and I spend a lot of time forwarding scenes. It would be torture to watch it in a cinema.

Probably the biggest disappointment, is the fact the movie did not add a single piece of information that was not available in main stream media. I would say one of the logical main objectives would be to try and answer at least some of the many questions people had about it all.

For a high budget film in any local terms, they should have done much better.

This movie really refreshed my memory about what Hansie Cronje exactly went through. Frans Cronje, Hansie's brother was the director for this film and that attracted me with the story coming from someone who could tell it more accurately and correctly than most.

The acting and production is South African quality, so don't expect miracles in that department. I found the movie to tell a accurate story of Hansie's life, and found it to be incredibly sad at the end.

This movie is not for everyone , but if you are a passionate South African cricket supporter such as myself , well then I recommend this movie. 7/10

Having grown up in SA during the Hansie golden years, it was bitter sweet to watch and brought back wonderful memories BUT, for the life of me, the accent from Hansie's wife, as played by Sarah Thompson, an American, was cringe worthy to be polite. Swapping between Eastern European, British and other butchery, it was distracting and off-putting. Sorry, should have gone with an Afrikaans actors of you wanted accuracy.

The school and township inclusions in the film were a nice touch. Perhaps more original footage could have been used rather than ultra modern sky cam footage which isn't accurate of cricket in the late 90s to early 2000s.

Go in with low expectations at the best. An average 4/10 IMO.

HANSIE with Frans Rautenbach, Sarah Thompson, Brandon Auret, David Sherwood, Eric Nobbs and Sybel Coetzee, directed by Regardt van den Bergh . Rating: 3/10.

BORN into a priviliged white world and graced with a mercurial talent for cricket, the late Hansie Cronje rose to great heights, but a combination of greed, boredom and arrogance led to him accepting bribes from bookmakers while serving as South Africa's test cricket captain. When he was caught out, Cronje denied his crimes for a while - and received the full support of Dr Ali Bacher and the Minister of Sport. But it was obvious the millionaire cricketer was lying, and he quickly changed his story. Soon he was weeping before the King Commission and telling how "a love of money" had led him into temptation. From here we see Cronje struggling with guilt and angst, while his faithful wife Bertha (played by America actress Sarah Thompson, who's beautiful but battles to do a South African accent) offers him unconditional love and support. Soon it becomes clear that while the Devil made him do it, the Lord (with a little help from Peter Pollock) will save the day. "Hansie", scripted by Frans Conje (Hansie's brother), is no doubt well-intentioned, but not only is it sentimental, overlong and cliché-strewn, it teaches us nothing we don't already know, and offers absolutely no piercing insights into the title character. A fascinating film could have been made about Hansie Cronje, but this isn't it. Perhaps someone impartial should try making an in-depth television documentary about the man. However, fans of director Regard van den Bergh's previous Christian film, "Faith Like Potatoes" (which also starred Rautenbach) and Hansie loyalists might like this expensive local movie (it cost about R42 million), which hammers away with its message about the prodigal son and forgiveness. And Rautenbach's performance isn't bad. As a fanatical cricket lover, Hansie Cronje broke my heart, and I forgave him(even though he didn't have to got jail or return the money and gifts he received). Yet I find it harder to forgive this film, which steals shots shamelessly from "Chariots of Fire", "Rocky" and "Dead Poets Society", and even pinches a line of dialogue from "Trainspotting". "Hansie" isn't recommended to genuine cricket lovers and doesn't have the depth to intruige sophisticated cinema-goers, but it will do reasonably well in South Africa. Overseas prospects appear decidedly limited, and I can tell you now that former England-captain-turned-ace journalist Mike Atherton certainly won't be impressed.

A movie about a subject very familiar to South Africans and cricket lovers. It is an attempt by the producer (Hansie's brother) to redeem the family honour but it falls short.

The story doesn't really get under the skin of Hansie Cronje and fails to really, honestly, examine his motives for taking the bribes and ultimately betraying his team, fans and country.

While one can accept that it is difficult for actors to portray very well known living people, most of them didn't really try very hard at all.

The religious theme is way too preachy, but about what one could expect from the team (producer, director, lead actor) that also made the bible-thumping "Faith like Potatoes". Hansie's "redemption" is unconvincing. It comes across as superficial and fails to convey any sense of sincerity.

Cricket fans will also be disappointed at the quality of cricket played by actors and extras supposedly portraying one of the best teams in the world, mercifully these scenes are few and far between.

The camera work is fairly good, locations are excellent but the acting and directing is well below par.

I was left with the impression that this film, just like Faith like Potatoes, was made for the "church hall" circuit rather than general audiences. It intentionally preaches to the choir.