"One Eight Seven" (1997) is one of those films that you want to hate because of it's gritty reality but can't ignore because it presents a serious problem in today's American school system. Samuel Jackson portrays realistically a substitute teacher named Trevor Garfield who had good intentions in going into teaching but in the process was pushed too far. John Heard also puts in a stellar performance as the corrupt and alcoholic teacher Dave Childress who acts as an example for Mr. Garfield as to what it means to go too far. Kelly Rowan on the other hand acts as what it is to be a good teacher Ellen Henry, in essence the other side of Mr. Garfield's conscience. In the end this story proves to be a tragedy, which may be necessary to make the audience think about what's wrong with the school system as portrayed in this film. Love it or hate it, watch it. A 7 out of 10.
Review of One Eight Seven
