Class of 1984 is a calculatedly unpleasant revenge thriller. It's the kind of film that any viewer with a shred of moral dignity will expect to hate.... but the film is surprisingly well acted and, in its ruthless and unrelenting way, very compelling. The depiction of life in a rough-as-hell high school is somewhat grim and unbelievable, and the dialogue often rings rather false. However, Class of 1984 exists as an exploitation revenger, so in many ways it's pointless to try to judge it on a deeper level. As exploitation revengers go, this one delivers.
Music teacher Andrew Norris (Perry King of "The Choirboys" and "Mandingo" - a bit of an exploitation veteran) arrives at the Abraham Lincoln High School as a substitute member-of-staff. Pretty soon, he realises that he's just taken on a position at one of the roughest, toughest schools in the world. The school is in a grip of fear due to relentless bullying, intimidation and drug dealing under a gang of misfits led by Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten). However, Andrew refuses to be intimidated by Stegman and his cronies. Consequently, Stegman resorts to increasingly violent and threatening courses of action in his attempts to victimise the teacher, until Andrew finally snaps and dishes out his own brand of discipline.
I really, really wanted to deplore this film. I'm a teacher myself, for Christ's sake!! Films which glorify violent schools and sadistic pupils generally tend to annoy me because they send out a completely immoral message to impressionable viewers. Amazingly, I actually found Class of 1984 to be an OK film. Most performances in it are good - King as the teacher trying to control unruly students is agreeable; Van Patten oozes menace as a psychopathic bully; and Roddy McDowall quickly overcomes what seems to be miscasting to deliver a great performance as an alcoholic biology teacher on the brink of a breakdown. But the film succeeds best in its unashamed audience manipulation - by the end, even the most lenient and tolerant of viewers will cheer on Andrew Norris as he goes on his Death Wish-style revenge spree. This film will never win any awards for subtlety, but within its genre it is a significant entry.
Music teacher Andrew Norris (Perry King of "The Choirboys" and "Mandingo" - a bit of an exploitation veteran) arrives at the Abraham Lincoln High School as a substitute member-of-staff. Pretty soon, he realises that he's just taken on a position at one of the roughest, toughest schools in the world. The school is in a grip of fear due to relentless bullying, intimidation and drug dealing under a gang of misfits led by Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten). However, Andrew refuses to be intimidated by Stegman and his cronies. Consequently, Stegman resorts to increasingly violent and threatening courses of action in his attempts to victimise the teacher, until Andrew finally snaps and dishes out his own brand of discipline.
I really, really wanted to deplore this film. I'm a teacher myself, for Christ's sake!! Films which glorify violent schools and sadistic pupils generally tend to annoy me because they send out a completely immoral message to impressionable viewers. Amazingly, I actually found Class of 1984 to be an OK film. Most performances in it are good - King as the teacher trying to control unruly students is agreeable; Van Patten oozes menace as a psychopathic bully; and Roddy McDowall quickly overcomes what seems to be miscasting to deliver a great performance as an alcoholic biology teacher on the brink of a breakdown. But the film succeeds best in its unashamed audience manipulation - by the end, even the most lenient and tolerant of viewers will cheer on Andrew Norris as he goes on his Death Wish-style revenge spree. This film will never win any awards for subtlety, but within its genre it is a significant entry.