Stander

Set in apartheid era Johannesburg, Stander follows a gifted police officer whose clean-cut image hides a dangerous impulse for crime. Andre Stander climbs the ranks while secretly planning audacious daytime robberies, a double life that tests his loyalties and the limits of authority. As his appetite for risk grows, the line between cop and criminal grows blurrier, pulling him into a web of confessions, complications, and dangerous partners. The film centers on the tension between duty and desire, showing how one man’s quest for control can erode the very rules he swore to uphold.

Directed by Bronwen Hughes, Stander brings to life the real story of Andre Stander, a South African police officer who becomes a bank robber. The screenplay is credited to Bima Stagg, with performances anchored by Thomas Jane.

Box office figures aren’t listed in the provided data, so worldwide earnings aren’t specified. The film had a reported budget of 15 million dollars, positioning it as a mid sized crime drama with an international cast. It found audiences mainly through festival screenings and selective releases, appealing to fans of biographical crime tales and serious dramas.

Critics note the film’s tense atmosphere and moral ambiguity as it explores loyalty, power, and the lure of crime. It centers on the tension between public service and private impulse, asking how far a person will go to preserve both. The performances, especially by Jane and Fletcher, ground the material in human friction rather than flashy spectacle, making the story feel intimate and dangerous.

Stander's grounded take on a policeman who turns to crime has become a reference point in discussions of South African crime cinema and antihero roles, highlighting how personal ambition can collide with public duty. The film's style favors muted colors and closeups that emphasize inner conflict over bravado, a choice that has influenced later biographical crime dramas.