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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Stander

EMAILPRINTNewmarket Film Group

Stander reviews
62
9.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
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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)

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...

91

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Riveting true-life drama.

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80

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.

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80

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

The movie is stirringly, thrillingly animated; Stander, as some say around Johannesburg, lives.

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80

Empire Kim Newman

This needs its 'based on a true story' caption because otherwise you'd never believe it.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

An extremely good picture that, with a little tweaking, might have been a great one.

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75

Premiere Glenn Kenny

The action is great, the story line unpredictable, the ending satisfying. Stander is crackling. Really.

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70

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.

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70

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

That all the events filmed actually took place make Stander a highly entertaining ride.

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70

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

The always-interesting Jane, a volatile and unpredictable character actor, fits the bill.

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67

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.

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63

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

The movie is bookended by a powerful indictment of apartheid and a study of white guilt.

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60

Variety Robert Koehler

Takes a notorious true story about a loyal soldier-turned-bank robber, and pumps it up into charged if uneven entertainment.

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60

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.

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50

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.

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50

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Mostly a second-rate action picture that's content to use apartheid as a colorful background.

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50

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.

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50

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.

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40

Village Voice Laura Sinagra

Kind of a bore.

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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.

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