En désespoir de cause

The movie was so good that i actually wrote to him. He actually wrote back. I found out a lot that was left out of the movie and some things that should have been left in. I ended up writing to him for 2 years. And am actually thinking about trying to write to him again. remember that the movies always add more or leave something out. And think about what you would do. NOT SAYING HE WAS RIGHT!!!!!! But let him tell you his side before he's not around to tell it anymore. He's still on death row. And if you wonder like I did at the end of the movie, write him and Ask him why like I did. You might be surprised like I was. Watch the movie with an open mind and take in every detail. Including the fact they changed the name of it. My copy is called Hostage High.

I thought this movie was great. It was really suspensful. I thought the actors did a great job dramatizing the situation. I can't imagine what it was like to make such a movie knowing that it really happened. Trying to portray the students emotions and actions must have been really challenging. Again, I thought the movie was really good.

I just saw this movie on court tv, and I flicked in on it about twenty minutes into the movie. Every two minutes it seemed I was crying and i think I will be depressed for the rest of my life. But it was a good movie. It was really really good... and sooooo sad.

This was filmed at my high school right before they tore it down. It gives me some sadness when I watch it as I know it's gone forever and the story was based on actual events. Never was much into made for TV movies but this one was done well. I always liked Ricky Schroeder & Henry Winkler, they both performed well here. I miss my old Jordan High. Beetdigger forever.

I'm not one for the movie-of-the-week genre, but this film was surprisingly good, and it's not only for the reason that Freddie Prinze Jr. is one of my favorie actors.

Shortly before Christmas, Jason Copeland (Rick Schroeder) decides to take out his pent-up revenge on Johnson High School, which he failed out of a year earlier. He enters the school heavily armed and begins firing shots, with no intention to kill anyone, and takes 80 students hostage in the music room. One of them Aaron Sullivan, is a troubled student, much like Jason, who soon becomes the middleman to Jason and makeshift hostage negotiator/small town cop/unlikely hero Skip Fine (Henry Winkler, in one of his many great performances). Aaron must speak to Skip on the phone, explain Jason's demands, and keep his classmates alive. He'll be a hero if he can accomplish these tasks, but can Skip help him to break through to Jason?

The performances in this film are exceptional for a TV-movie. At times, I found myself huddling up, especially the part when Jason puts the gun to a crying Samantha's (Katie Wright) head. He forces lookouts into the hallway, and insists that a cop entering the school or a student fleeing will result in bloodshed. I was so scared every time a student fled going to the bathroom. I was particularly freaked out when Darren, the sole African-American student, was killed being selfless by protecting a classmate. My heart skipped a beat as his determined, hysterical mother tried to find out of Darren was alive. We also saw glimpses of Aaron's scared mother, hoping that her son stays one step ahead of Jason to keep himself and his classmates alive. Freddie Prinze Jr. puts on an incredible performance, and looked so young (he still does). He was only about 20 years old then (my age), and I'm glad a better hairstyle was forthcoming for him. Henry Winkler is a great actor, and he's just the kind of unlikely hero you'd expect. In my opinion, casting on his part was a great decision.

If you like true-life dramas (this was based on reality), and like to see an unlikely individual prevail, then this is a great movie for you. It's well-written and smart, and you'll be left cheering for Prinze and Winkler. Rick Schroeder also puts on a great performance, and can scare and shake up the most unnerved person (myself included). If you can find this movie at your video store, definitely pick it up.