Stander is based on
the true story of Andre Stander, a South African police captain in the
1970’s who became one of the most notorious bank robbers in the
country.
CRITIQUE
While there have
been many stories of cops who end up falling into a life of crime,
Stander rises above most with a good story and wonderful visual
direction. Based on the true story of South African police captain
Andre Stander who, after killing an unarmed man during a protest
(which turned into a riot) turned away from the system he was part of
and begin the life of a criminal.
Thomas Jane gives a
wonderful performance as Stander, showing his potential as a great
dramatic lead. Dexter Fletcher and David Patrick O’Hara are great as
Stander’s partners (Lee McCall and Alan Heyl) in crime and Deborah
Kara Unger is absolutely wonderful as Stander’s ex-wife Bekkie.
While the film does
not completely capture what the world of 1970’s apartheid dominated
South Africa was like, the film makes up for it by painting a nice
portrait of Stander and the events that led to his ultimate change in
careers. Director Hughes, whose previous work included romance and
fluff (Forces of Nature and Harriet the Spy), shows that
she has an eye for action (there is a few great action sequences in
the film as well as a great chase scene) and can handle drama
effectively.
Overall, the film
is definitely worth taking a look at. It works well for those who love
crime dramas as well as action fans.
THE VIDEO
The video is just a
standard transfer. There is no enhancement of image, or is there any
noticeable muting of image. It looks nice.
THE AUDIO
The film is
presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, and Dolby Surround 2.0 both of which
sound really good. Both mixes work wonderfully. Nothing special or
noteworthy with the presentation, they’re both standard sound mixes.
THE EXTRAS
Commentary by
Director Bronwen Hughes:
Hughes’ track is a very insightful look into the film. She explains
how close to reality the film actually was as well as tells some fun
and interesting stories about the shoot.
Deleted Scenes:
Two deleted scenes, neither of which is very interesting to watch.
Anatomy of a Scene:
The Sundance Channel’s “making of” show looks at Stander as
well as the Tembisa riot at the beginning of the film. It breaks the
sequence down very well, giving a good idea of the challenges of
shooting a scene of that magnitude.
FINAL THOUGHT
Stander
is a pretty good film, and the DVD extras are insightful; it's
definitely worth checking out.
