Excellent but underrated film

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

James Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr., Rae Dawn Chong and Michael Wright star in this 1987 drama. A teacher is sent to be principal of a drug-infested high school. Rick Latimer (Belushi) is a school teacher who gets himself in trouble and is asked to be principal of drug-infested high school, Brandel. He meets hall monitor, Jake Phillips (Gossett) and learns that student, Victor Duncan (Wright) is the drug-dealing king of the school. Rick tries to clean up Brandel with his rule, "No more" and gets in over his head. Chong plays Miss Orozco, a history teacher who dislikes Rick at first, but gets close to him later after he saves her from getting raped by a student. Soon, Rick is forced to fight against Victor and make him an example of his rule. I've always liked this film and think it's one of Belushi's best. I recommend this great 80's drama.

Education lives a problem. I don't think it's related to certain age or place. So that's why movies talk about it non-stop. Every movie has a case of stubborn idealistic teacher, and a mess that varies between poor underachievers and frank criminals.The icons of the kind aren't many across the way. In the 1950s (Blackboard Jungle – 1955) came out as very important one and almost a milestone. In the 1960s there was (To Sir With Love – 1967). In the 1970s somehow the sport movies exploited the formula, comically, leaving the serious case of school out of cadre with movies like (The Longest Yard – 1974), (The Bad News Bears – 1976), (Slap Shot – 1977),..etc. Then at the 1980s we came back to school in (The Principal) yet in a whole different way.This movie approaches the case through an angle that gathers between the commercial look (war with crime, action scenes, comic remarks) and the rule of meet violence with violence; which was – and still is – a pretty bold matter in movies of that kind. However it ended up as a bit unserious movie which deals with scarily serious subject. While it provides a swamp of a school, classic situation for its stubborn idealistic lead to face, rather to fight, many examples for the poor underachievers (single underage mom, a bright yet gangster student, Latino delayed in reading..) and frank criminals (a drug dealer, a rapist..), even loyal assistants (a tough janitor, a nice teacher..), it – in the same time – shows and handles everything and everyone as just a thrilling B-movie fare.All the characters are underdeveloped. Strangely the only well made, well portrayed, character was the janitor / security manager (Jake Phillips), done greatly by (Louis Gossett Jr.) in his finest hour after (An Officer and a Gentleman – 1982)'s success. The rest you know by the similarity with other – more deep – movies. Simply we didn't go, or have the time to go, through the characters, despite how troubled they all are; which would have been a feast for another "drama". (James Belushi) is always the lovable Jim. Back then he did well in comedies or action comedies like (Red Heat), (K-9). And here he wasn't away from his area.The worst acting, or the worst anything, this movie has; came from the head of rebels, or the movie's villain for that matter !, (Victor) played by (Michael Wright). That guy, by the way he was written and acted, represented the worst of the B-movies' making. He's a professional drug dealer, with absolute evil and no background. The way he punished one of his gang, for leaving it and making friends with the principal, was too sophisticated, looking borrowed from horror movies or maybe drastic Blaxploitation ones. (Wright) as an actor has no middle; he's whether a badass, utterly confident, Dracula or a sudden pathetic wimp with terrified look in his eyes. Moreover, he doesn't get to kill the principal while having him under his pistol at the climax, according to being scared, yet he's so ready to kill his henchmen for not doing it (???!). Sure that exaggeration and contradiction weakened the conflict, and pushed the movie out of being believable.The last one-on-one sequence was more suitable for a Dirty Harry movie. And with an end like (Who do you think you are ?! / He's the principal *MAN* !), the action movie concludes nicely, but not the social commentary though. Unlike the endings of Dirty Harry's movies, where the long-shot and the lead walking sorry embody sadly declarations such as (the system doesn't work), this round the end with the lead riding his motorcycle, so proudly, after finishing the bad guys; must remind you more of the old westerns where the noble cowboy wins and struts over his strong horse heading to the sun.. and stuff like that. As you see; this is more refreshing happy end !On the other hand, aside from (Belushi) and (Gossett Jr.), there are some cool dialog (F**K YOU ! / They told me that you can't make a complete sentence here in Brandel !), and little fair action. Although the principal is another Blackboard Jungle's fighter mixed with the original cowboy, and its modern image; namely the 70s maverick cop, but the highest singularity this movie achieves isn't that mix inasmuch as showing that lead as someone who scares, gets confused, and feels helpless. So while John Wayne didn't use to ride motorcycles or fear of his enemies, you'll never see Dirty Harry drinking in a bar or reproaching an elevator's door for a failure he had either. That portion of human delicacy was a good different point. It did distinguish that hero and its movie to some extent.It carries out the message of being defiant instead of disappointed, in a way most of the thriller actions deal by. And in terms of having the message of "meeting violence with violence" in schools, it is less melancholic, more "feel good" than (187) 10 years later. Finally, some say that despite poor box office, (The Principal) managed by the years to turn into a cult classic. I believe it is a classic, however as an entertaining B flick, where the (dirty.. ) part ruled, and the (sir..) part / the problem of education, seemed like a cover or subplot.

Rick Latimer (James Belushi) is a high-school teacher with some social issues. Hard drinking and soon to be divorced, Latimer flies of the handle when he spies his ex out having a drink in a bar with another man. Up before the school board, who have tired of his combustible attitude, Latimer is informed that he has finally got the Principal position he has long since courted. Trouble is is that it is at Brandel High, a notoriously troubled school where violence and crime are part of the curriculum. Taking up an attitude of fighting fire with fire and working from his motto of "No More," Latimer hopes to bring order and respect to the school. But with only Security guard Jake Phillips (Louis Gossett Jr) as an ally and the thuggish school kingpin Victor Duncan (Michael Wright) after his blood, Latimer will do well to just survive the first week.The formula of such movies like The Principal is now seen as old hat, post the release of Christopher Cain's movie you can trace a line from Lean On Me in 1989, to The Substitute 1996 and on to One Eight Seven the following year. Prior to The Principal the topic is a bit more thin on the ground, we can probably laud the excellent Blackboard Jungle from 1955, while 1984 saw Mark L. Lester tap into the video nasty zeitgeist of the early 80s with his trashy Classs Of 1984. So plenty of film's, and similar types like Stand And Deliver, from which to choose should you require a night in with a teacher intent on straightening out those ruffians; whilst ensuring the good kids get the education they deserve. So why choose The Principal then?Well James Belushi's fans don't need much convincing here, an always likable star who knows the limits of his talents, the film gives him the chance to mix serious drama with his comedy bent. This played out with immeasurable cool too. Latimer is one bad ass teacher, he drinks hard, plays hard, whirls his baseball bat and rides a motorcycle. He's no Dolph Lungdren (Detention) or a Tom Berrenger (The Substitute), but Belushi can carry off the tough side of Latimer, whilst showing his fallibility's via little comedy moments as he wonders just what the hell he is doing here. Belushi is admirably supported by Gossett Jr, a believable tough security guard if ever there was one, while a lot of the film's strength is drawn from the developing relationship between the two men. Of the rest of the cast it's Michael Wright who stands out as head thug Victor. Already at the time of release a cult actor thanks to his turn in The Wanderers, Wright is supremely cool and terrifying into the bargain. When he shouts "I expel you," you start to pack your bags, that is unless you are Principal Latimer of course.As ever with a film of this type there are complaints that it's full of stereotypes, but were they in 1987? Director Cain is for sure not addressing the then fledgling problems of education and crime amongst African-American and Latino school kids. But he is not shying away from the issue either. That the most unsavoury point in the film sees a white youth perpetrate crime on a black teacher tends to get over looked by snarky PC critics. Make no bones about it tho, this is more macho than the rest, again this is something that has upset many a critic who prefers the "reach out to the kids" approach in something like Morgan Freeman's excellent, but tonally different, Lean On Me. Oh yes sir, this is taking a different tack, but I for one appreciate having a different angle from which to view such subject matter. Some hooligans can be saved by reaching out to them, but lets not kid ourselves that some of them don't need more than just a telling off from The Principal. Yes the film is also very 80s, none more so than with the soundtrack where we get a mix of the bad; some American Heartbeat sounding fluffer, and the great; Strafe's pulse rocking "Set It Off". Not setting out to win awards or moralise about an ongoing problem, The Principal goes for a tough and gritty approach for this semester. Amen to that sir. 8/10

High School Teacher Rick Latimer (James Belushi) is been transfer to other High School in the urban part of the city. Which he's been promoted to be The Principal, where the school has a very bad reputation. While he tries to get back his life in track, after been in a nasty divorce. He becomes friends with a tough security officer in the school (Oscar-Winner:Lou Gossett Jr.) and some of the struggling students. But he finds his biggest changeling, when the tough teenager Drug Dealer Victor Duncan (Michael Wright). Who thinks he's owns the school by corrupting the youth and senseless violence that happens during the week in school. Latimer didn't expect that Duncan would be tough, since Duncan has a tough gang and He might be a murderer as well.Directed by Christopher Cain (That Was Then... This Is Now, Pure Country, Young Guns) made a tough urban drama with fine performances by Buleshi and Gossett Jr. Which is one of Buleshi's best roles to date. This film represents fairly how is Urban High School are like during the 1980's. Which High Schools are becoming much worse now, then they were over 20 years ago. A much more controversial movie came out the early eighties that was "Class of 1984". "The Principal" didn't have a big success in theaters but it sure when to have a cult following on video. Perphas one of the flaws of this movie, it has a odd if unusual high mix of Comedy and Drama. If it stayed more to being a Drama and less humour, this movie would be have been more effective. This has good supporting performances by Rae Dawn Chong, Kelly Jo Minter, Easi Morales, Tony Winbush and Jacob Vargas. The reasonable tense finale between Latimer and Duncan are one of the best parts of the movie. Certainly worth a look. (*** ½/*****).