Stander (2003)

73% of critics liked it
(62 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(5,360 ratings)

A lawman fed up with the corruption in Apartheid-era South Africa takes to robbing banks in this gritty crime drama from writer/director Bronwen Hughes. The title Stander refers to Andre Stander (Thomas Jane), an ambitious second-generation policeman whose strategies and experience make him the… More A lawman fed up with the corruption in Apartheid-era South Africa takes to robbing banks in this gritty crime drama from writer/director Bronwen Hughes. The title Stander refers to Andre Stander (Thomas Jane), an ambitious second-generation policeman whose strategies and experience make him the perfect candidate for commander. But when the privileged Stander is chosen to direct the police force against a brutal, majority-led uprising in Soweto, he becomes so disgusted with his actions that he decides to undermine his own authority as an officer. His means for doing so is to moonlight as a bank robber, partly out of disgust for the force and partly as an adrenalin-fueled act of deception. After pulling more than two dozen heists, Stander is caught -- but it isn't long before he breaks out of jail, and fortified by two hardened-criminal pals, Lee (Dexter Fletcher) and Allan (David Patrick O'Hara), he resumes his anti-authoritarian crime sprees. Stander premiered at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Bronwen Hughes
Written By: Ken Friedman, Bronwen Hughes
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jan 16, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Dec 21, 2004
Studio: Newmarket Films

Critic Reviews

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Pumped by a soundtrack of period South African funk and dance music, propelled by whiplash montage sequences and rubber-burning Burt Reynolds-issue getaways, Stander is the very definition of good, old-fashioned outlawry.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Stander refuses to take a stand on its own subject matter.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
A crackling good yarn.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Has you in its grip from the beginning.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Worth a look, thanks mostly to Mr. Jane's troubled swagger and Ms. Hughes' sharp eye.
Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News
Adds up to what is less a movie than an entertainingly episodic rap sheet.
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
better than expected
Dragan Antulov, Draxblog Movie Reviews
STANDER deserves recommendation as fascinating film that confirms the old adage of truth being stranger than fiction.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Jane's performance is nothing short of revelatory
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
A rather entertaining (if style-over-substance) portrait of insane illicitness.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Stander é o anti-herói clássico - e a direção empolgante de Hughes e as performances do elenco principal fazem jus à incrível história do personagem-título.
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
That it's based on a true story only makes the drama on display feel that much more crisp, engaging and substantial.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
The bank robbery action, the nose-thumbing at authority, and the rise of an anti-hero -- a colorful action yarn.
Angela Baldassarre, Sympatico.ca
Despite being based on an exceptional true-life story, Bronwen Hughes' "Stander" is uneven and somewhat sloppy in execution.**
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
A beautifully paced story.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

familiar s

Genre: Crime. Based on real life story. IMDb Rating: Above 7. Well, that was enough to set me going. But the experience was mixed. The script & screenplay isn't up-to-date here; it fails in properly fictionalizing the facts. Some of the sub-plots created to support the story… More
Genre: Crime. Based on real life story. IMDb Rating: Above 7. Well, that was enough to set me going. But the experience was mixed. The script & screenplay isn't up-to-date here; it fails in properly fictionalizing the facts. Some of the sub-plots created to support the story at a later stage are too unconvincing. After having killed an unarmed protesting citizen in a riot, Andre Stander, one of the captains of the riot squad, asks to free himself from that duty. He was already getting sick of the corruption around him & this riot event only worsened the matters for him. In the midst of this crisis, he begins to rob banks, but eventually gets arrested. He manages to escape, though, with a partner, & later manages to get one more of his inmates out. The three start robbing banks, which soon gains media's attention & the trio is thereby referred to as 'The Stander Gang' by the media & hence the public at large. After a while, Stander feels that he should escape with his wife. But his wife disapproves of his actions, saying: ?There?s not a thinking man among us that doesn?t want to blow this place to smithereens from time to time. But we don?t. We find other ways.? Despite of this, he plans an escape, to be followed by a final heist, with his partners. But do things work out the way they?d planned? While the first half was good enough, much of the second half was messy. I'm not saying that the second half was absolute crappy. It had its highs & lows, but the lows were far more than the highs. One of the protagonists says: "We've written a pretty good story so far. Why not a perfect ending?" But the ending wasn't that great either. The creation of the South Africa in the 80s era is done quite well, though. Thomas Jane is exceptional. The way he plays this complicated character is amazing. Deborah Unger is excellent. Dexter Fletcher & David O'Hara are passable. All in all, the movie works in parts & is worth a shot for those parts, IMO. 6.5/10.
Anthony L

A really clever film, a true story too! Thomas Jane?s best performance to date!
Ken S

Great character piece and early performance by Thomas Jane
Emily A

I bought this sight-unseen and turned out to really like it. Deborah Kara Unger can't really pull of the South Afircan accent, but otherwise this movie is areally good. I just wish it didn't end on such a down note. Oh well. It was still really good, and was peppered with… More
I bought this sight-unseen and turned out to really like it. Deborah Kara Unger can't really pull of the South Afircan accent, but otherwise this movie is areally good. I just wish it didn't end on such a down note. Oh well. It was still really good, and was peppered with humour.
Al S

Tom Jane is brilliant. A true movie star performance. It's a slick, stylish and highly entertaining crime drama. Driven by a hip soundtrack and great action. One cool and compelling bank robbing thriller.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]Based on a true story, "Stander" begins in 1976 when Andre Stander(Thomas Jane) is the youngest captain in the Johannesburg police force and has just remarried his ex-wife, Bekkie(Deborah Kara Unger). Stander is assigned to riot duty at a demonstration… More
[font=Century Gothic]Based on a true story, "Stander" begins in 1976 when Andre Stander(Thomas Jane) is the youngest captain in the Johannesburg police force and has just remarried his ex-wife, Bekkie(Deborah Kara Unger). Stander is assigned to riot duty at a demonstration in a township by blacks angry at making Afrikaans the official language. Because of the large police force, things quickly get out of hand and the police open fire on the protestors. In the midst of this, Stander shoots and kills an unarmed man at close range. This leaves him shaken to the core and he requests to be taken off riot duty, much to the detriment of his once promising career. Soon after, most of the police force is again assigned to a township on riot duty, leaving the police station pretty much abandoned, Stander being one of the only exceptions. He wonders at the possibilities for committing a crime by a white person with the police force elsewhere. Such a possibility is presented when he walks by a bank, which he promptly enters and robs - in broad daylight.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Stander" is a stunningly great movie directed with panache by Bronwen Hughes. The movie is amazing in that it deftly combines social commentary, politics and history into one gleefully fun heist movie that somehow does not glorify the actions of its protaganist(I originally thought Stander's actions were because of extremely large gonads but I think the real reasons are far, far darker.) nor insult the audience. And I especially liked the ending. [/font] [font=Century Gothic]There is a very thin line between police and criminal, especially in a police state like Apartheid era South Africa where a minority tries to keep the majority under its thumb by any means necessary. That especially resonates with what is happening in the world today.[/font]
Stephen E

Thomas Jane has not been good in any film that I've ever seen him in, and I've seen quite a few. "Stander" proved me wrong; not only it the best performance of his career, but it's just an all-around great performance. He provides us with a sturdy and… More
Thomas Jane has not been good in any film that I've ever seen him in, and I've seen quite a few. "Stander" proved me wrong; not only it the best performance of his career, but it's just an all-around great performance. He provides us with a sturdy and well-developed character. On top of that, "Stander" is engaging, exciting, involving, and unquestionably well-made. It's been a long time since I've watched a movie where I haven't checked the clock once at least once and with "Stander", I wasn't bored a single time. Now, there a couple of instances where it gets a little silly, but overall, "Stander" is a great film. Highly recommended.
FanGirl B

The preview and the box look bad, but this movie is really brilliant. It's not a subject I would normally be interested in but this movie really grabs you and is just all around good.