That all the events filmed actually took place make Stander a highly entertaining ride.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
The story is so eager to highlight macho action scenes that it loses track of the important historical and political issues it raises.
The action is great, the story line unpredictable, the ending satisfying. Stander is crackling. Really.
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Thomas
Crackles with forceful portrayals. Funny, violent, impassioned and inescapably poignant, Stander in no way sanctions Stander's turning to a life of crime yet has the courage to see him as a victim of apartheid himself.
Village Voice by Laura Sinagra
Kind of a bore.
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
Riveting true-life drama.
Takes a notorious true story about a loyal soldier-turned-bank robber, and pumps it up into charged if uneven entertainment.
It can be thrilling to watch Stander and his gang of gentlemen bandits rack up the loot without ruffling their (or anyone else's) shirt collars. The movie isn't content to rest there, though; it wants to be a caper with a conscience.
The always-interesting Jane, a volatile and unpredictable character actor, fits the bill.
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
Loses some its bearings once it turns into a caper movie. The movie hardly bothers to explain the mechanics of the jailbreak or of the robberies themselves, which take place in a flurry of disguises and stickups that has a Keystone Kops flavor.