Stander

A thoughtful action film, well written, directed and acted. A potent blend of character study and social history, with a dynamic performance by Thomas Jane in the title role. What at first seems to be a kind of Robin Hood tale turns out to be much more complex and unsettling.

Director/co-writer Bronwen Hughes (can this really be the same person who directed "Harriet the Spy"?) finds just the right tone and pace. The Soweto riot scene is a knockout and sets the stage for Andre Stander's disillusionment. The overall film is reminiscent (in the best sense) of some of the classic Hollywood films of the late 60s, early 70s such as "Butch Cassidy" and "Dog Day Afternoon."

As a South African who's had to sit through a bunch of films on South Africa(ns) that made me cringe, I have to firstly send congratulations to the actors and dialogue coaches on achieving what has to be the first believable South African accents by international actors. Bravo! (Michael Caine and Sydney Poitier can take the the cotton-wool out their mouths now).

André Stander was a young police captain who in the early 80's robbed a string of banks while still in the employ of the South African Police Service. Finally caught, Stander spent time in jail before escaping to form a gang and continue the spree. His flamboyance, charm and cheek caught the imagination of the South African public who followed his exploits excitedly in the press and on tv. Well known for outfoxing the police through trickery, elaborate disguises and plain disregard for risk, he had people on the edge of their seat - most hoping he'd never get caught.

The movie sticks with the basic story and adds the usual Hollywood glam that while pumped up to fit in with other bank-robber fare, does not ruin the plot. From a beautifully shot opening sequence of an aerial view of Johannesburg, the film immediately sets up the great contrast of this city as existed in the apartheid 80's in the living conditions of the rich pool-and-tennis-court-suburbia(almost totally white) to the poor townships(non-white). A situation that while changing is still present today. Inner-city Johannesburg is the perfect place for a film of this era. The city-centre is full of buildings, murals and statues erected during the 70's boom-time and the film makes great use of these landmarks that surround the car and foot chases through the streets and city markets. The wardrobe is spot-on, the stylists have got it right. Nothing is overdone and no-one looks out of place. South Africans will be delighted by the memories and cultural references. While the lead actors are British and American, they are surrounded by a very capable South African supporting cast.

The film makers probably take a bit of license with Stander's motivations as far as his disgust with the ruling policies, but they're never over the top and additionally make room for placing more political content into a story that would arguably be uncomfortably white for a youngish democracy such as ours. Following this, the protest scenes are believable and tense. The violence is hard-hitting and impactful. The humour and stereotypes will make you smile.

Style and acting aside, there are some awkward moments. Parts of the film struggle with context. We have scenes of hard country driving for no discernable reason other than a chat with the characters. We see little of the planning involved for the robberies and a couple of acts of redemption by Stander are hard to swallow. Sometimes it's as if the film makers wanted to fit too much into the two hours and instead let the pace slacken.

While a little long and at times slow moving, Stander was a real pleasure to watch. I laughed out loud many times, and felt really emotional looking back on a society that was in a bad place. The police clashes with protesters brought tears to my eyes and the attitude and motivations of the typical white male is genuine and appropriate. I think this film deserves a tighter overall edit and a possibly re-shoot of a rushed, unconvincing end scene, however I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, if only for a spot-on glimpse of SA life twenty years ago.

_Stander_ was completely fascinating, from start to finish. I don't know when the last time was I saw a movie that I enjoyed so completely. It really was like some overlooked classic from the early 70s, in the styles and the composition. The colors have just the right washed-out look to make you think this film might be a contemporary of films like _Dog Day Afternoon_ or _Network_. And the settings, the costumes, the cars--all the period details bring us right back to the mid-70s. Never having visited South Africa and not really knowing that much about it, I almost feel like I've had a bit of a crash course in South African history and culture after watching the film. It's amazing that Thomas Jane, who hasn't exactly had the most memorable career to date, could so completely inhabit this character and bring him to life. This is the same guy who was the romantic lead in the insipid _The Sweetest Thing_! And the morose protagonist of _The Punisher_. He needs to keep stretching and looking for these more offbeat roles. And it's always a pleasure to see the beautiful Deborah Kara Unger in a film--here she plays Stander's wife. I won't recount the plot--plenty of other posters have already--but just urge you to rent this movie if you get the chance. It was immensely entertaining.

Hi, Stander was an absolute blast of a movie. Well directed & true the origins. Andre Stander (according to newspapers in SA)was deeply shocked by events and did feel a need to break away from what he felt was wrong, incl.the government's way at the time. Thomas Jane is a great actor and to have learned the accent - Wow! He looks so much like the real Stander. Stander as a movie is compare able to 'Blow' from Johnny Depp which was also a true 'story' movie. I felt the best thing from the movie was the fact that they made Johannesburg look so much like it did in the 80's and the cars they used, with all the different number plates, as well as the old bank names, was a classy touch. Johannesburg looks so nice and clean, like it used to be.

Now did it open worldwide, or at least in the USA, or UK on the 6 / 13th August? So did anyone manage to see it ?Because in SA it has since been on TV & DVD.

I just watched this movie yesterday. I guess it just got released, but I couldn't find it. Luckily someone put it online.

Anyway, this movie was incredible. Since watching the movie, I did some research, and this move was completely based on actual events and facts. Only robbing the same bank twice in one day was fictional.

Tom Jane was great in the role as Andre Stander, and was excellent in his confidence within the character. its too bad this film wasn't more popular in North America

I am going to have to buy the DVD. Hopefully it will have some interesting extras