Stander (2003)

The life and career of Andre Stander, a South African police officer turned bank robber.

Director:

Bronwen Hughes

Writer:

Bima Stagg

Stars:

Thomas Jane, David O'Hara, Dexter Fletcher

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Thomas Jane	...	Andre Stander
Dexter Fletcher	...	Lee McCall
David O'Hara	...	Allan Heyl (as David Patrick O'Hara)
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Bekkie Stander
Ashley Taylor	...	Cor van Deventer
Marius Weyers	...	General Stander
At Botha	...	General Viljoen
Lionel Newton	...	Sergeant Smit
Melanie Merle	...	Sharmiane
Sean Else	...	Ed Janis
Peter Gardner	...	Allums
Patrick Mynhardt	...	Judge
Wikus du Toit	...	Lawyer
Drummond Marais	...	Prosecutor
Nicole Abel	...	Young Lady

Storyline

In the early 1980's, a white police officer (Andres Stander, played by Thomas Jane) in Johannesburg suffers a crisis of conscience due to his involvement in apartheid and becomes a notorious bank robber on the run. Then from 1983 to 1984, the "Stander gang" (Stander, Alan Heyl & Patrick McCall) rob as many as four banks a day.

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Plot Keywords:

police | bank robber | apartheid | protest | jailbreak | 

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Taglines:

South Africa's most wanted man

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, some sexuality and nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The riot scenes were shot in Tembisa, where the real Andre Stander had been stationed on riot duty. The crew left most of the buildings as they were since they were old enough not to bear too many anachronisms.

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Goofs

The film is set in the mid- to late-1970s and early-1980s, but some of the car registration plates are from much later, even as far forward as the early-1990s.

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Quotes

Andre Stander: I'm tried for robbing banks. But, I have killed unarmed people.
Judge: That is not the business of the court.

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Connections

Referenced in Drew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013)

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Soundtracks

New York Moving
Performed by Ahzz
Written by Osbourne Hunter and Steve Boston
Courtesy of P&P Records/Peter Brown
Published by Soulstreet Music Publishing Inc.

User Reviews

The True Saga of a Bank Robber

In 1976, in Johannesburg, the efficient anti-racist Homicide/Robbery Police Captain Andre Stander (Thomas Jane) has a nervous breakdown after killing an unarmed man in an apartheid protest. Stander decides to confront and mock the established corrupt system heisting twenty-six banks while working for the police department. He is captured and sentenced to thirty-two years in prison; however, he succeeds to escape with the criminals Lee McCall (Dexter Fletcher) and Allan Heyl (David Patrick O'Hara) and together they form "The Stander Gang" and rob another twenty banks in six months.

"Stander" tells the story of the notorious Afrikaner bank robber and former police captain Andre Stander. The movie works perfectly as an action movie, but if the intention was to give any political connotation to the actions of the anti-hero Stander, it completely fails. Stander is shown as an efficient but unbalanced man in love for his wife performed by the gorgeous Deborah Kara Unger that defies the system, not like a Robin Hood or to protect the black people, but for self-profit only. Thomas Jane has a great performance in the role of this complex character. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Stander – Um Policial Contra o Sistema" ("Stander – A Policeman Against the System")

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada Germany South Africa UK

Language:

English Afrikaans Zulu

Release Date:

10 October 2003 (South Africa)

Also Known As:

Stander

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,067, 8 August 2004

Gross USA:

$31,651

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$272,791

Company Credits

Production Co:

ApolloProMedia GmbH & Co. 1. Filmproduktion KG (I), Grosvenor Park Productions, Rough Diamond Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1