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Stander (film)

Stander
Stander ver2.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Bronwen Hughes
Produced by Hillard Elkins
Martin Katz
Chris Roland
Julia Verdin
Written by Bima Stagg
Starring Thomas Jane
Deborah Kara Unger
Ashley Taylor
David O'Hara
Dexter Fletcher
Marius Weyers
Music by David Holmes
Cinematography Jess Hall
Edited by Robert Ivison
Production
company
Grosvenor Park Productions
Seven Arts Pictures
Stander Productions
The Imaginarium
ZenHQ
Distributed by Newmarket Films
Release date
  • September 6, 2003 (2003-09-06) (TIFF)
  • August 6, 2004 (2004-08-06) (United States)
Running time
116 minutes
Country South Africa
Language English
Box office $31,651

Stander is a 2003 biographical film about Captain André Stander, a South African police officer turned bank robber, starring Thomas Jane who initially turned down the role. The filmmakers were able to talk to Allan Heyl, one of Andre Stander's accomplices who was still in prison; Cor van Deventer, his police partner; and the warden of the prison where Andre was incarcerated.

Andre Stander is an officer with the South African Police, newly married with a reputation as the youngest captain on the force, he and his partner are assigned along with other officers to riot duty in the wake of the Soweto uprising. In the chaos of one of the riots in Tembisa, Stander shoots a young, unarmed protester, which deeply affects him and causes him to become disillusioned towards the Apartheid system. One day on his lunch break Stander decides to spontaneously walk in and rob a bank, he thoroughly enjoys the rush and decides to embark on a spree of robberies, even responding to one in official capacity as an officer. In the wake of these robberies, Cor Van Deventer, Stander's partner, leads a team assigned to take down the new bank robber. Eventually being able to see through Stander's disguises, Deventer's team finally makes the arrest, Andre Stander is stripped of his position and sentenced to 32 years in prison.

While in prison Stander meets two other men, Lee McCall and Allan Heyl, with whom he quickly fosters a friendship. The trio have grand plans of what they will do when they get out, even saying that when they do they will come back for each other. After a year or so in prison Stander and McCall go to play a rugby game with other prisoners, during the game they feign serious injury and are taken to the infirmary, where they knock the doctor unconscious and relieve the guards of their weapons. Shortly after their escape Stander and McCall return for Heyl, the three introduce themselves to each other as their new assumed names and proceed to rob a few banks, purchase a high-priced safehouse, and steal a yellow Porsche 911 Targa.


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