One Eight Seven

In the world of 'teacher takes revenge' flicks, we have tons of flops. I think "187" is certainly not one of those flops. It is a film that has held up well since its release in 1997.

Samuel L. Jackson turns in one of his good performances here. The setting is perfect: a hazy, smoggy east Los Angeles in the 90's. Films like "American Me" and "Falling Down" also captured that 'L.A. thing' well. "187" does that. It makes you feel like you are there.

Some of it definitely plays like an after school special, but most of the plot here is gritty and believable...this is no "Class of 1984." Awesome soundtrack with lots of good Massive Attack too.

7 out of 10, kids.

Samuel L. Jackson is superb in this hard look at the pressure that American Teachers can face. The story begins simply enough, but soon leads us into a jungle of what is right and what is wrong. It encompasses the themes of machismo, gangs, respect and the fallen and tainted profession of teaching. Jackson plays the destroyed Teacher, whose life is torn apart after a serious stabbing by one of his own pupils. It follows his fight to cling on to the only thing he has left in his life, Teaching, but soon that too is torn away from him. Watch for this amazing insight into the state of some American schools and for the complex discussions of right, wrong and what it takes to exact a change.

Samuel L. Jackson is not only one of the coolest guys alive, he´s also a great character actor what this film shows very impressively. I don´t know how bad the circumstances at some American schools really are, but I think "187" is much more realistic than liars like "Dangerous Minds". Kevin Reynolds also did a great job as director. In the whole film there are no spectacular things happening, but it is suspense-packed and dramatic from beginning till the end. Also the photography and the score are excellent, because they reflect the depressive and hopeless situation perfectly. The "Deer Hunter"-like showdown and the desperate speech of Rita at the end will keep you sitting on the chair, left deep impressed and considering, while the whole film is already over for a long time. (9/10)

This movie offers good insight into the culture of violence that is prevalent in cities like Los Angeles, especially its eastern part. Samuel Jackson plays a teacher who survived a brutal stabbing in a NY school and moves to L.A. in order to start again in a new place, trying to get away from the traumatic memories connected to his old working place. But it turns out to be just the beginning of a new nightmare for him: he gets the worst class imaginable, where some of the students are real thugs and hoodlums. The worst of them are Benny Chacon (played by an unknown actor) and Cesar Sanchez, played by Clifton Collins Jr in one of his first major roles. After Chacon kills a graffiti artist for spoiling one of his "masterpieces", he goes on the run and is later found dead. Garfield (Jackson) is left to deal with Sanchez, who proves to be enough for him to handle.

This shows how violence, psychological violence itself, can make a non-violent individual get more violent and retort to violence in order to solve a problem. Jackson's Trevor Garfield is a traumatised veteran who gets pushed too far by the school bullies and starts bullying back, in his own way. At the same time, this film also lays the blame on the school itself, its principal's tolerance for the bullies' antics and lack of understanding or sympathy for Garfield's plight clearly underscores that. The gangbangers get their way more often than not and Garfield has to fight a lone battle, one which also changes his personality.

It is a pretty strong film which has a sort of sleepy film-noir quality, reminiscent of some older films. Samuel Jackson makes a very good performance, same as Collins Jr and the beautiful Kelly Rowan and John Heard make good supporting performances. Rowan's character seems to be the only one which is "clean" in all this mess. Her role is that of a moral guardian who questions Jackson's actions when he retaliates against the bullies. Other characters are all pretty much despicable, except for Rita, who is just a victim of her own environment. This is the gangland, where only law is the law of the strongest and the most intimidating. It shows how hard it is to fight against this law.

Kevin Reynolds' 187, although billed as another "straight-laced-teacher-turns-troubled-urban-highschool-teens-into-well-rounded-individuals" movie, goes above and beyond this tired premise. The provocative story (which was apparently written by an actual highschool teacher) breathes new life into the otherwise stale highschool-drama subgenre.

Samuel L. Jackson's performance as Trevor Garfield is fantastic, and his many emotional scenes and powerfully delivered lines of dialogue work well at allowing the audience to sympathize with the disenchanted Garfield and relate to his humdrum life. Also, the characters are much more dynamic and developed here than in most movies of this kind. The student as well as the faculty roles are all given unique personalities, backgrounds, and adequate motivation for their actions, which is a refreshing departure from the typical "the reason they're bad kids is because they grew up in the 'hood"-style characterizations.

Although a few of the supporting performances are somewhat stilted (mainly because they are overshadowed by Jackson's excellence), the highly original story is clever enough keep anyone's interest piqued until the heartrending (although arguably contrived) ending. 187, aside from being smart, touching, and one-of-a-kind, really shows off Reynolds' ability to successfully convert a good, solid screenplay into a good, solid film. And since this movie was made directly after his abominable WATER WORLD, we should all by doubly impressed by his efforts!