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Stander
EMAILPRINTNewmarket Film Group

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Foreign
Written by: Bima Stagg
Directed by: Bronwen Hughes
Release Date:
Theatrical: August 6, 2004
DVD: December 21, 2004
Running Time: 111 minutes, Color
Origin: Canada / Germany / South Africa / UK
Summary
RATING: R for violence, language, some sexuality and nudity
Starring Thomas Jane, Ashley Taylor, David O'Hara, Dexter Fletcher, Deborah Unger, Marius Weyers, At Botha, and Lionel Newton
The gripping true story of Andre Stander, the youngest Captain in the Johannesburg Police Force and South Africa's most notorious bank robber. (Newmarket Films)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Forces of Nature
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Crackles with forceful portrayals. Funny, violent, impassioned and inescapably poignant, Stander in no way sanctions Stander's turning to a life of crime yet has the courage to see him as a victim of apartheid himself.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky
The movie is stirringly, thrillingly animated; Stander, as some say around Johannesburg, lives.
Read Full Review >Empire Kim Newman
This needs its 'based on a true story' caption because otherwise you'd never believe it.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein
An extremely good picture that, with a little tweaking, might have been a great one.
Read Full Review >Premiere Glenn Kenny
The action is great, the story line unpredictable, the ending satisfying. Stander is crackling. Really.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Stephen Holden
Loses some its bearings once it turns into a caper movie. The movie hardly bothers to explain the mechanics of the jailbreak or of the robberies themselves, which take place in a flurry of disguises and stickups that has a Keystone Kops flavor.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
That all the events filmed actually took place make Stander a highly entertaining ride.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
The always-interesting Jane, a volatile and unpredictable character actor, fits the bill.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
With his periodic porn-star mustache, shaggy hair and reckless demeanor, the movie Stander embodies a certain brand of brooding outlaw cool that feels increasingly rare.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
The movie is bookended by a powerful indictment of apartheid and a study of white guilt.
Read Full Review >Variety Robert Koehler
Takes a notorious true story about a loyal soldier-turned-bank robber, and pumps it up into charged if uneven entertainment.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Scott Foundas
It can be thrilling to watch Stander and his gang of gentlemen bandits rack up the loot without ruffling their (or anyone else's) shirt collars. The movie isn't content to rest there, though; it wants to be a caper with a conscience.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The story is so eager to highlight macho action scenes that it loses track of the important historical and political issues it raises.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Mostly a second-rate action picture that's content to use apartheid as a colorful background.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
Attempts to pass itself off as a fast-paced caper picture doubling as a socially conscious apartheid drama but ends up equally unconvincing in both departments.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
Although notorious in South Africa, Stander is little known elsewhere and Canadian director Bronwen Hughes' unsatisfying account of his life and crimes is unlikely to earn him a spot on the outlaw celebrity A-list.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
clive f. gave it a10:
Great flick.
Billy gave it a10:
Just plain great!!!
Dave gave it a10:
This is one of the most gratifying movies I've seen in a long time! As a South African (currently living in Canada), I was absolutely spell-bound by the faithful recreation of South African society in the 70's... I was seeing excerpts of my life on the big screen! For days I was telling all my South African friends and relatives to see this remarkable movie - for a change true to South African society and featuring actors that were so authentic they simply had to be South African. Imagine my surprise when I reserached the film a little better and realised the cast were a mixture of Brits, Americans and even a Canadian (Stander's wife). The accents and mannerisms were impeccable - I am most impressed. The film also managed to accurately capture the disparate elements taht constitute the dizzyingly complex fabric of South African society. Even the uniforms of the different arms of service are accurate for that period. Even the money - which has been changed 2 or 3 times since the 70's - is correct for the period!! Fantastic movie, a complex story sensitively portrayed with some good laughs thrown in.
analogzombie gave it an8:
This movie successfully traverses both the fun, heist rampage genre, and the telling, autobiographical, man changed via trauma story. It's basically a fun ride with a message, that leaves you with an appreciation for a man you've probably never heard of before. The apharthied era riots are recreated with brutal detail, and Thomas Jane shines in the role of Andre Stander. A by-the-books South African cop who loses faith in the society that has nutured him, after being asked to excercise too much violence in the name of the status quo. Excellent.
