Every country has its outlaw folk heroes, and they're often the subject of films (most recently, Australia's Ned Kelly). South Africa gets into the act with this quasi-biography of Andre Stander, a captain in the Johannesburg police force during the waning days of the apartheid regime, who for some reason--the script oddly suggests it was his moral opposition to the racist system and guilt over killing a protestor during demonstrations in the black townships--uses his insider's knowledge to pull off a succession of daring bank robberies, often investigating the crimes himself after the fact. Although eventually caught and jailed, Stander escaped with two other prisoners, and the trio became the nation's most notorious gang, pulling off heist after heist and repeatedly embarrassing the law enforcement and government officials before coming to the obligatory tragic end. Director Bronwen Hughes' picture is mostly devoted to staging the robberies in a glitzy, hyperkinetic style, complete with oversaturated color and distorted camerawork (intended to lend a surrealistic kick, but more often looking mannered), and while Thomas Jane gives a vivid performance in the title role, the whiplash welter of images Hughes serves up makes Stander more of an empty exercise in visceral excitement than an insightful treatment of the man. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Bronwen Hughes, the Sundance Channel production “Anatomy of a Scene” (25 min.), two deleted scenes, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)
Stander
Columbia TriStar, 116 min., R, VHS: $50.99, DVD: $24.98, Dec. 21 Volume 20, Issue 1
Stander
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