Hansie: A True Story (2008) Reviews

• Despite low expectations, I enjoyed this movie.

  nathanael-634-1700132010-01-14

  Normally I'm quite critical of movies. I knew "Hansie" wouldn't be amazing and expected it to be low-budget as I knew it was a Christian movie. I was drawn to watch it because as an Australian I love cricket and admired Cronje, and (like one of the other reviewers on this board) I was interested in the South African psyche at the time. Firstly I was quite surprised to find that the cinematography was really good. I was impressed with the production and could see that a fair bit of money had been invested into the movie. The acting wasn't standout but I expected worse - and it was good enough not for me to notice it during the film. I have to admit I couldn't figure out some of the accents - especially Bertha (I thought she must have been English, not Safi) and some of the older men portrayed seemed to have English accents as well (the pastor, Justice King, etc). While I know there are heaps in India, there aren't that many English-language movies about cricket - so I enjoyed watching the portrayal of famous cricket stars and I especially enjoyed the re-enactment of the last over of the 1999 World Cup Semi-final in which Alan Donald was run out. I remember watching that on live TV with mates and expecting Australia to lose the match and then the unthinkable happened. Australia went on to win the World Cup and have also won the last two (2003 and 2007). It was a pivotal point for our team and it was refreshing to see the same event from a South African point of view. I'm giving the movie 7 out of 10 because I actually enjoyed it - and when that happens I have to rate a movie. It was actually quite sad. Not being from South Africa myself, it was interesting to see aspects of South African life that's similar to things here in Oz (e.g. backyard cricket and BBQs, sport and outdoor lifestyle).

• You've missed the point

  pc_hall2009-08-11

  It seems many reviewers have missed the point of the Hansie movie. This movie is not just about cricket and a sullied era of match fixing. As an Australian, this movie gives us insight into the South African psyche at the time. It shows us how South Africa needed "a Hansie" to rise up into a new post-apartheid era. If Hansie was not born, they would have invented "another Hansie"; just like Australia needed "a Bradman" during the depression era to help define itself & lift its spirits. This movie is also about how a man can be tempted despite good intentions and character. A "little leaven, leavens the whole lump". It shows that all our heroes are flawed in some way, and that we should take them off their pedestal. Its also about how Christians struggle with life like anyone else. Reviews of "pious" and 'dribble" have missed the point. As an Aussie, one thing I like about this movie is that it is not from Hollywood. Its good to get another perspective on the human condition. A well done movie which shows us many things if we take off our blinkers and see.

• The fall from grace and redemption of a South African sporting hero.

  Paddy-492011-01-19

  "Hansie" is a curious film. It was produced and inspired by a team, including the subject's brother Frans, who seemed to have two motives. First posthumously to rehabilitate Hansie Cronje the fallen idol of South African cricket. Second to suggest that through Christian belief in action, "choosing life", it is possible for even the most fallen of sinners to get absolution. This makes it sound extremely slanted and precious and likely only to be of interest to those who, like Cronje, have been "born again". In fact it is a much better film that this outline indicates and I would argue that it is worth viewing by anyone who has an interest in Cronje and cricket but also in the complexities of South Africa society and human character. The subtitle of the film is "A True Story" and it certainly takes and explains Hansie Cronje's side of the story - the personal explanation for his actions that he gave to the King Commission which investigated the match fixing allegations on behalf of the South Africa government. So the film is not investigative journalism and no new material facts about the scandal emerge. What the film does is paint in the personal issues surrounding the story – in particular Cronje's relationship with his teammates, his family and his friends. And there is a very strong message that the child is father of the man – we visit Cronje's school, Grey College, Bloemfontein, quite a lot both in flashback and in the aftermath of Cronje's death. The strict Afrikaner moral code taught by this school is contrasted with Cronje, the sinner, who falls from grace. For those at Grey, Cronje is the "Prodigal Son" and this bible story is a leitmotif of the film. "Hansie" is clearly a sincere act of attempted redemption of Cronje's reputation by Hansie Cronje's widow, brother and others close to him. This is not to say that it ducks the tough issues – how could it as they are very much in the public domain following Cronje's confession and evidence to the investigators? It does not try to exculpate Cronje's behaviour – his greed, hubris and arrogance come across albeit tempered by strong suggestions that he was a troubled soul. The truth, of course, is that Cronje had absolutely no reason to take money from the shady world of the illegal bookmaker and to then inevitably get sucked into that world. By South African standards he was extremely well off with a lovely home, substantial income and hero status. Even after his fall from grace and death he was chosen at number 11 in the list of 100 Greatest South Africans! Is "Hansie" an inspiring story? Not to me it isn't. That some religions allow and even encourage those who have fallen to be redeemed is fine I suppose. But the barely disguised contention of the film that this rebirth (including a baptism scene) somehow eradicates the original crime is surely wrong. The choice of "Life", which must be linked to an affirmation of faith, seems a bit of a cop out. It is almost as if a "sinner who repenteth" is in some way morally superior to someone who hasn't sinned at all – or hasn't been found out! The production values of this fairly low budget film are good – even the cricket scenes, whilst far from authentic, are to an acceptable standard – as is the location shooting in India and South Africa. The performances are good as well – Frank Rautenbach makes a convincing Cronje, the American Sarah Thompson is believable as Cronje's wife Bertha and Nick Lorentz is excellent as South Africa's coach Bob Woolmer. So "Hansie – A True Story" is a pretty good film – so far as it goes! But was I convinced that this was the whole truth about illegal betting, match fixing and the involvement of Hansie Cronje and other South Africans in this sordid business? I'm afraid not!

• A factual, but boring look at the life of one of the most controversial men in South African History

  snippie2008-09-26

  I went into this movie expecting the worst, but hoping for the best. Which is probably the best way to approach it. I'm not going to repeat the plot, as I'm pretty sure anybody reading this will know the basic outline of the movie. (Well at least anybody that comes from South Africa, or other cricket loving nations). What I do want to mention in this review is the actual quality of the film, in regards to things such as cinematography, script, acting etc. This film seemed to have a higher production budget than many other South African films. The film itself looked clearer and less grainy than many other films produced here. There were some absolutely gorgeous shots of the Cape area, especially of Blouberg Strand and in and around Fancourt (George). The shots of India also seemed authentic, although, since I've never been there I can't be absolutely certain, but they were gorgeous! Now for the negative aspects. I thought, in general, that the script sucked. It was extremely on the nose, as though it was written for those who do not want to think and figure things out for themselves. I also thought they could have spent more time on Hansie's dealings with the Indian bookies, and his reasons for dealing with them, as in the end the only real reason we received was that he loved money... And that was only mentioned towards the end of the movie. We didn't get a glimpse into his thought processes whilst he did all these things. The only time I thought I actually knew why he did it was the very first time, when Donald told him to try to up the amount just for fun - After that I had no idea of Hansie's reasonings for doing the things he did. Another aspect of the film that really grated, was that, for the most part, the acting was sub-par to dismal. Francois Rautenbach did okay as Hansie, nothing Oscar worthy, but he was amongst the best the film had to offer. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Sarah Thompson - A big part of that had to do with her accent, as at times it seemed like she didn't even try to conceal her American accent. So in summary, this was a pretty average movie, with some positive aspects, but could have been so much better had they spent a bit more time on the script and with a couple of cast changes.

• A silly movie about a silly man

  Spaceygirl2008-12-08

  Dire and Dismal...Hansie disappoints on so many levels. A great South African story about a disgraced hero that just falls flat. The acting is bad..so bad. The actress who portrays Bertha CRonje is horrible, her accent is all over the place and it's quite off putting. The lead is good-looking, a little too good-looking to play Hansie Cronje who was a rugged, 'Camel man' type. He certainly didn't have the piercing blue eyes that Frank Rautenbach has. The only one who shows any kind of acting chops is Brandon Auret, whom South African audiences will recognise from TV's Binnelanders. The script is painful, the dialogue stilted. The films only saving grace is the cinematography, portraying as it does some of the most beautiful places in South Africa, Fancourt in George in particular in a stand-out scene near the end of the movie. The Christian aspect is slightly overplayed..are we supposed to accept that a crook and conman was also a devout Christian? This theme doesn't sit very comfortably with the rest of the film and the 'baptism' scene in particular being slightly jarring. The whole tone of the film seems rushed and fails on so many levels.