Tough guy Thomas Jane has spent most of his career playing support in films from Boogie Nights to Deep Blue Sea. More recently he took a stab at playing an action hero in The Punisher, but his role as a cop-turned-bank-robber in indie flick Stander is perhaps his best work. Bronwen Hughes graduated from naff romantic comedy Forces Of Nature to direct this "gripping, true-life crime caper" set against the civil unrest in 80s South Africa.

A Stand-Up Guy

Always a fascinating addition to any DVD is a half-hour Anatomy Of A Scene from a series produced by The Sundance Channel. The scene in question finds Stander among a fleet of riot police trying to suppress a violent uprising in one of the oppressed South African townships. It's pivotal, because as Jane says, it "crystallizes the conflict within Stander". Even so, he admits that trying to get under the skin of this man was very difficult. Hughes explains that their research involved talking to many who people knew him, but who each had a different take on his personality.

Other key members of the crew describe in practical terms exactly how they intended to "explore the psychology of a character and a country" within these vital minutes. For instance, cinematographer Jess Hall and editor Robert Ivison talk about moving from very wide shots to extreme close-ups to capture the bedlam within and without. There are also detailed notes on production design and location scouting in South Africa.

Rough Guide To Africa

Hughes makes a great tour guide to the dark underbelly of South Africa in her audio commentary. With each new exterior she recalls something bizarre about the place or people, eg a Muti street market (where Stander tries to lose the cops after a bank robbery) is apparently the place to go for very alternative medicine. Everything from "bones, snakeskin, intestines and foetuses" are crushed, dried and sold as miracle cures for whatever ails you. Of course, after a pot of snakeskin-and-foetus tea you might find you have worse problems.

Besides the travelogue, Hughes talks you through all of her creative choices, like the decision to cut away from the action during the early robbery scenes (there's no way you could fit them all in anyway), as well as raving about Jane's performance. It seems she was mightily impressed with the time he invested in preparing for this role, including voice sessions every night after wrapping on Dreamcatcher and even doing his own (rather reckless) stunt driving.

We're only treated to one deleted scene, which finds Stander sunbathing on the beach and nearly having his cover blown (thank goodness for the Speedo). It's certainly a modest package (of extras we hastily add), but it's not short on substance. A separate investigation into the South African uprisings would've rounded things off nicely, but as it is, this DVD offers a tidy bit of swag.

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