Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

bheadher Why? Because it has all the elements that make for an excellent story. I've always liked James Belushi but hadn't figured out why until I first saw The Principal. Then it hit me while watching the first minutes of this one, he is really a good actor, with a range that is missing in many of the new generation.Rick Latimer (Belushi) is a down and out loser in the educational system, a drunk and trouble maker. He gets sent to a high school to be the Principal of an inner city crime infested multi-racial school at the bottom of the list for academic excellence. Knowing that he is at his last stop, Latimer realizes that he really does care about education and begins to clean up the school, raising eyebrows and taking names in an effort to help the students realize their own potential. With the help of a crusty school security head (Louis Gosset Jr.), and a young teacher who cares, plus a growing group of kids who see the light, Latimer takes on the resident student kingpin, a very unlikable young man who deals drugs openly and believes he is in charge. The interplay between the two factions comes to a head when the kingpin and his goons try to kill Latimer after school one day. The fight and subsequent ending is quite amazing.This movie deserves a lot better grade than has been given to it in the past...

Maziun "The principal" is one of many movies dealing with violence in school . Other movies about this subject are "Blackboard jungle" (1955) , "Class of 1984" (1984) , "Stand and deliver" (1988) ,"Lean on me" (1989) , "Dangerous Minds" (1995) , "The Substitute" (1996) , High School High (1996) ,"187" (1997).The best way to look at this movie is to look at it as unusual western. The lines between good and evil are very clear and there are no real moral dilemmas here. Some people might criticize that this movie is sometimes over the top , especially the action scenes. However I don' t think that this movie is too far from the real life problems. The reality is a lot worse. In my country there have been accidents in last years where teachers were attacked by aggressive teenagers . The problem of bullies , school violence and street gangs existed in 1987 and is even a bigger issue now. I agree with the message of "The Principal" – some kids you can reach to , but some are just lost case. Some punks only understand violence. Some hooligans can be saved by reaching out to them, but some will only understand baseball bat. In a way you could say it's a teacher fantasy , but one that makes you feel better. I believe that a teacher in school should be untouchable and every punk who doesn't know how to behave should get a serious ass kicking.I also don't believe that the movie is racist. Yes , the main villain is black , but we have also a white creep White Zac (JJ Cohen) here and few Latino gangsters. The janitor and female teachers who help Latimer are black and don't forget that there is one black "Baby" Emile (Troy Winbush) and Latino kid Raymi Rojas (Esai Morales )who become friends with Latimer. Most of the kids in this movie isn't portrayed as bad , they just apathetic and the same goes for almost every teacher in Brandel.James Belushi ("Red heat") fits the main role of Rick Latimer incredibly well. He's totally endearing and very likable character from start to finish. It was refreshing to see a teacher who isn't so noble and more down to earth. The film gives him the chance to mix serious drama with his comedy talent. Louis Gossett Jr. ("Officer and gentleman") gives a admirable support as believable tough security guard Jake Philips. The relationship between Belushi and Gossett Jr. is fun to watch thanks to some great chemistry between them. Michael Wright ("The Wanderers") is quite convincing as the main villain Victor Duncan and Rae Dawn Chong ("Commando") is fine in her role of impassioned teacher Hilary Orozco . The students played by JJ Cohen , Troy Winbush , Esai Morales are also very OK.It feels strange to write about action scenes in a movie about inspiring teacher , but the truth is that they are done nicely and the climax of the movie is full of suspense . Director Christopher Cain ("Young guns") did a good job. The screenplay was written by Frank Deese, a real life teacher who also plays a small role in the movie. The story gives enough time for character development and material for actors to work with. Some nice and memorable one liners here "I will expel you" , "No more" , "He's the principal man". The only problem is the undeveloped role for Rae Dawn Chong and her friendship/love story with Latimer. It doesn't seem to go anywhere like the writer didn't knew what to do with her. Some cliché moments at the end of movie , but I didn't minded them. The soundtrack is nice , especially if you like 80's music . Notable songs – Strafe "Set it off" , Jay Gruska /Bruce Roberts / Andy Goldmark "Livin in the line of fire" and Rob Jungklas "Hello heaven"."The Principal" might be a B-class movie , but it's a well made B-class movie. It has some good messages and is a positive movie . It's entertaining and actually inspiring. It's a movie how few people can make a difference. It does quite good job portraying the hard work many teachers have to face every day. It's a movie about fighting apathy and doing what you think is right no matter what. It never gets preachy , it's charming and enjoyable small movie. I give it 5/10.

videorama-759-859391 It was great to see Belushi in this. I have another confession. This is my favourite JB film. He has two assets, apart from some bad vices- a big motorcycle and a big baseball bat. His latest incident, that has him exploding when seeing his ex with another guy, who just happens to be a lawyer, I think, puts him on the bad end of the faculty, where he's demoted and made a principal, of one of the worst high schools, in L.A- Brandell. Don't expect this movie to be as violent as you think. One scene, where he's getting pounded on a rape scene, where Belushi to the rescue, on his big bike, in one of the best and coolest entrances, you'll ever see, is what earned the film it R certificate. To be frank, this film would have the same effect on an 18 year old, as it would a 15 year old. The film is more than a violence for violence sake of a movie. We see a man beaten by the odds, about to rebuild his life, and turn this wayward school around, if it means getting rid of the chief hood, Victor, permanently (a frightening and menacing performance by a fine black actor, Michael Wright, him and Belushi reteamed in 1994'S, Race The Sun). I can't imagine what this film would be like without Belushi, and I don't want to imagine. This is a great, popcorn, bubblegum, high school flick, with action, thrills, and a nice re paint job on Belushi's reconstructed bike, as it was dismantled, by Victor and his boys. The young latino kid, Arturo, who is beyond getting sucked into Victor's gang, lifestyle, was an impressive debut of naturalistic acting, I missed not recognizing him, as Benecio De Toro's partner in Traffic. I do admit The Principal did show room for improvement, may'be a little more ingredients, or structure, in the story, but nonetheless, we're given quite an entertaining ride with a tremendous lengthy showdown, and with Belushi at the helm, we can't go wrong.

Scott LeBrun This is a pretty good '80s vehicle for James Belushi, who gets to show off both comedic and dramatic chops as Rick Latimer, a teacher who, in a drunken state one night, flies into a rage upon seeing his ex-wife with another man (her attorney, no less). After beating the hell out of the mans' car with a baseball bat, his superiors decide to "reward" him with a principal gig. The catch is that the gig is at the city's most crime ridden inner city high school. Now, Latimer may have his faults, but being a more or less good guy he's incensed at what he sees and decides that he's going to clean up the school, no matter what. Offering some assistance is the schools' head of security, Jake Phillips (Louis Gossett Jr.). Rick takes special interest in students such as young mother Treena (Kelly Jo Minter) and the sincere Arturo (Jacob Vargas), who's only now learning to read. Meanwhile, the biggest piece of criminal scum at the place, Victor Duncan (Michael Wright) tries to scare off Rick, but Rick won't have any of it, and the stage will be set for a final showdown at some point. "The Principal" does score high marks for good intentions, even as it recalls earlier films such as "The Blackboard Jungle" and "Class of 1984" (other films in this genre, of course, include "Stand and Deliver", "Lean On Me", and "Dangerous Minds"). It's reasonably absorbing and tells a decent story, which was written by Frank Deese, a real life teacher who also plays a small role in the movie. What makes it work as well as it does are the variety of entertaining characters, both likable and unlikable. Belushi is in fine form and does seem to be improvising at some points. Gossett Jr. is solid as a rock and the sexy Rae Dawn Chong has the role of impassioned teacher Hilary Orozco. Wright is completely convincing as the antagonist, largely because he mostly underplays the part. Playing other students are Esai Morales as the poetic Raymi Rojas, J.J. Cohen as scuzzy white creep White Zac, and the engaging Troy Winbush as "Baby" Emile, the gang member who has a change of heart. Director Christopher Cain also creates some very effective suspense in the ultimate confrontation between principal and criminal. Best of all, while there is some serious subject matter in the material, Cain and company never get heavy handed in the attempt to create some sort of "message movie", and mix the exploitative ingredients with the serious ones to make an entertaining package in general. By the end, you can't help but cheer the principal on. Seven out of 10.