One Eight Seven (1997)

Director:

Kevin Reynolds

Writer (WGA):

Scott Yagemann (written by)

Release Date:

30 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

When schools become war zones and both sides start taking casualties, what then?

Plot:

After surviving a brutal attack (Instrument used was a board with nails in it) by a student, teacher Trevor Garfield moves from New York to Los Angeles.

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | High School | Substitute Teacher | New York City | Stabbing

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson	...	Trevor Garfield
John Heard	...	Dave Childress
Kelly Rowan	...	Ellen Henry
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Cesar Sanchez (as Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez)
Tony Plana	...	Principal Garcia
Karina Arroyave	...	Rita Martinez
Lobo Sebastian	...	Benny Chacon
Jack Kehler	...	Larry Hyland
Jonah Rooney	...	Stevie Littleton
Demetrius Navarro	...	Paco
Ebony Monique Solomon	...	Lakesia
Johnny Bogris	...	Barsek (as Yannis Bogris)
Dominic Hoffman	...	Victor
Martha Velez	...	Mrs. Chacon
Method Man	...	Dennis Broadway

Also Known As:

187 (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, strong language, drug use and brief nudity.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Brazil:18

Filming Locations:

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Icon Entertainment International

Trivia:

187 is the police code for homicide.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Jack outs the dead dog into the car, dolly tracks are visible on the ground around Garfield.

Quotes:

[first lines]
school official: Alright, let's go people, let's go. One minute until tardy lock-down... take your hat off, thank you... let's go, let's go. Everybody move inside, move inside... morning Trevor, good morning. Let's go, get inside... let her go! No smoking - I don't smoke, you don't smoke. Let's go people, today's a *good* day to learn.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Paybacks Are a Bitch (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Dub Plate Circles

A nice, thoughtful alternative to all those countless DANGEROUS MINDS clones made during the time.

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!