Teacher Trevor Garfield survives a stabbing by a student, moving from New York to Los Angeles, with a different perspective on life, he resumes teaching as a substitute. But Trevor finds that the same old problems still persist, only now he's going to do things his way......
One Eight Seven, directed by Kevin Reynolds {The Count of Monte Cristo} and starring as its lead, Samuel L. Jackson {Pulp Fiction}, is another in a long line of teacher and unruly students based plotters. Trace a line from Blackboard Jungle to The Principal, to Class Of 1984, The Substitute, Dangerous Minds and you get the picture. It's a shame then that as a formula, it's now looking a bit frayed around the edges. Because Reynolds' film does have a couple of things up its sleeve with which to make it a time worthy viewing.
Firstly there is Samuel L. Jackson himself. By his own admission, he's someone who will work for food. However he is capable of the odd flash of excellence, regardless the quality of film he is appearing in. He may be adored by the MTV generation for stints in Tarrantino pulpers, but it's with film's like Changing Lanes, and this here Reynolds piece, that he really puts down his marker of ability. As Garfield he is asked to go thru a character makeover during the story, not complex as such, but in a sanity breaking point kind of way. Something that Jackson really gets to grips with and in spite of the bad acting around him {shame shame casting director}. Secondly is the ending itself. No it's not shattering in the pantheon of genre pieces emotionally, but on the intelligence scale it scores rather high. We may have been fed a pre-empt earlier in the piece, but the outcome is no less dramatic for it. Some standard genre stereotyping causes a roll of the eyes, and pet peril and sexy teacher under threat is a touch too tiresome for the older, experienced viewer. But this one deserves a better reputation because it at least tries to offer something different. It doesn't succeed across the board, oh no, but at least it's got enough about it to roll its credits knowing at least it tried to veer away from its genre restraints..and it's got Sammy Jackson on prime form. 7/10
One Eight Seven, directed by Kevin Reynolds {The Count of Monte Cristo} and starring as its lead, Samuel L. Jackson {Pulp Fiction}, is another in a long line of teacher and unruly students based plotters. Trace a line from Blackboard Jungle to The Principal, to Class Of 1984, The Substitute, Dangerous Minds and you get the picture. It's a shame then that as a formula, it's now looking a bit frayed around the edges. Because Reynolds' film does have a couple of things up its sleeve with which to make it a time worthy viewing.
Firstly there is Samuel L. Jackson himself. By his own admission, he's someone who will work for food. However he is capable of the odd flash of excellence, regardless the quality of film he is appearing in. He may be adored by the MTV generation for stints in Tarrantino pulpers, but it's with film's like Changing Lanes, and this here Reynolds piece, that he really puts down his marker of ability. As Garfield he is asked to go thru a character makeover during the story, not complex as such, but in a sanity breaking point kind of way. Something that Jackson really gets to grips with and in spite of the bad acting around him {shame shame casting director}. Secondly is the ending itself. No it's not shattering in the pantheon of genre pieces emotionally, but on the intelligence scale it scores rather high. We may have been fed a pre-empt earlier in the piece, but the outcome is no less dramatic for it. Some standard genre stereotyping causes a roll of the eyes, and pet peril and sexy teacher under threat is a touch too tiresome for the older, experienced viewer. But this one deserves a better reputation because it at least tries to offer something different. It doesn't succeed across the board, oh no, but at least it's got enough about it to roll its credits knowing at least it tried to veer away from its genre restraints..and it's got Sammy Jackson on prime form. 7/10