Review of Stander (2003) by Derek M — 06 Jun 2006

[font=Century Gothic]Based on a true story, "Stander" begins in 1976 when Andre Stander(Thomas Jane) is the youngest captain in the Johannesburg police force and has just remarried his ex-wife, Bekkie(Deborah Kara Unger). Stander is assigned to riot duty at a demonstration in a township by blacks angry at making Afrikaans the official language. Because of the large police force, things quickly get out of hand and the police open fire on the protestors. In the midst of this, Stander shoots and kills an unarmed man at close range. This leaves him shaken to the core and he requests to be taken off riot duty, much to the detriment of his once promising career. Soon after, most of the police force is again assigned to a township on riot duty, leaving the police station pretty much abandoned, Stander being one of the only exceptions. He wonders at the possibilities for committing a crime by a white person with the police force elsewhere. Such a possibility is presented when he walks by a bank, which he promptly enters and robs - in broad daylight.[/font].

[font=Century Gothic]"Stander" is a stunningly great movie directed with panache by Bronwen Hughes. The movie is amazing in that it deftly combines social commentary, politics and history into one gleefully fun heist movie that somehow does not glorify the actions of its protaganist(I originally thought Stander's actions were because of extremely large gonads but I think the real reasons are far, far darker.) nor insult the audience. And I especially liked the ending. [/font].

[font=Century Gothic]There is a very thin line between police and criminal, especially in a police state like Apartheid era South Africa where a minority tries to keep the majority under its thumb by any means necessary. That especially resonates with what is happening in the world today.[/font].