Released in 2003, "Stander" is based on the true story of Andre Stander, a police captain in South Africa turned bank robber in the late 70s/early 80's, dubbed a modern-day Robin Hood by the media. Thomas Jane stars in the title role while Dexter Fletcher and David O'Hara play his partners. Deborah Kara Unger is on hand as his wife while Melanie Merle plays the girlfriend of one of the gang members. Marius Weyers also appears as Stander's father.
While this is based on a true story, people dispute parts of it, like the idea that Stander occasionally gave some of the loot to impoverished black people and the idea that his disillusionment and fall into crime stemmed from an incident where he and other officers shot and killed over twenty unarmed black residents of Thembisa during the 1976 Soweto uprising. Nevertheless, the gist of the story is true and the depiction of apartheid-era South Africa is interesting. Moreover, the news media did indeed portray Stander as a modern-day Robin Hood and so the movie reflects this element and I wouldn't be surprised if he really did give some cash to blacks on a few occasions.
The score by The Free Association (aka David Holmes) is odd, but I suppose the filmmakers wanted something that would mesh with the time period and location. While this is a crime thriller, it's generally realistic and lacks the eye-rolling action sequences of conventional Hollywood thrillers. There's action, of course, but it's believable and mixed with the drama of the real-life players and events.
The movie runs 116 minutes and was shot in South Africa.
GRADE: B
While this is based on a true story, people dispute parts of it, like the idea that Stander occasionally gave some of the loot to impoverished black people and the idea that his disillusionment and fall into crime stemmed from an incident where he and other officers shot and killed over twenty unarmed black residents of Thembisa during the 1976 Soweto uprising. Nevertheless, the gist of the story is true and the depiction of apartheid-era South Africa is interesting. Moreover, the news media did indeed portray Stander as a modern-day Robin Hood and so the movie reflects this element and I wouldn't be surprised if he really did give some cash to blacks on a few occasions.
The score by The Free Association (aka David Holmes) is odd, but I suppose the filmmakers wanted something that would mesh with the time period and location. While this is a crime thriller, it's generally realistic and lacks the eye-rolling action sequences of conventional Hollywood thrillers. There's action, of course, but it's believable and mixed with the drama of the real-life players and events.
The movie runs 116 minutes and was shot in South Africa.
GRADE: B