Class of 1984
Class of 1984
R | 20 August 1982 (USA)
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Andy is a new teacher at an inner city high school that is unlike any he has seen before. There are metal detectors at the front door and the place is basically run by a tough kid named Peter Stegman. Soon, Andy and Stegman become enemies and Stegman will stop at nothing to protect his turf and drug dealing business.

Reviews
AnhartLinkin

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

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BeSummers

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

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Catangro

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

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Jenna Walter

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

ops-52535

This one is a classic,it was forbidden to watch in norway for many years,simply because it is a revengeful film.i saw it as a 14 yrs old,and it made wounds on my mind., its a highschool film about dope,gangs,money,punks teachers,virgins,desk-drills,gasoline,and a whole lot of hate.. the way revenge is done is simple but/and gruesome,not to say bestiallic, but in the end its well done and well deserved to the ones deserving it. its also one of the deputing films of michael j. fox from back to the future,my gawd how small he was. i will advise all to have a look at this one,its cheap made,but rich on memories. on my top 30 list

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Prismark10

The late 1970s onwards was a period in American exploitation cinema where inner cities were full of violent gangs, uncontrolled by police and authorities. This trend continued in the 1980s with mainstream cinema churning out Death Wish and Dirty Harry sequels.This obscure B movie outing features an early film appearance by Michael J Fox, one of the few actors in this film who looks like a high school student.Perry Kings plays newbie Music teacher at Lincoln High whose idealism quickly goes out of the window as its run by a nihilistic gang of scumbags led by Peter Stegman who despite living a high style life, he can even play the piano spends most of his time living the life of violence and drug pushing. He is so bad that we even seem him and his cronies beat up a gang of black drug pushers. Well it is a far fetched film!Mr Norris is the only one to stand up to him. Despite security guards, CCTV the Dean of the school can never find any wrongdoing by the thugs and other teachers just turn a blind eye until Roddy McDowall the Biology teacher snaps that is.Timothy Van Patten is having a hoot as the vile and cunning Stegman who really gets off in bringing misery which also includes an unsettling gang rape scene. The scene in a bathroom where he frames Mr Norris was re-used in Fight Club but let's not talk about that.The film is at times preposterous with some of the students looking they are about to hit middle age. You kind of wonder why normal students come here because it is not safe or go postal with a machine gun on Stegman which is something that would happen nowadays.The film is cheesy, some uneven acting, some exploitation nudity and violence with some dark humour. After Mr Norris gets all Death Wish and starts to pursue the gang, he gets away with it because no one saw anything.

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ma-cortes

Strong as well as brutal entertainment , set in the near future , and dealing with Andy (Perry King , he was the first and only actor considered for the role) , a man happily married to a pregnant wife called Diane (Merrie Lynn Ross) . He is a new music teacher who has his own ideas of discipline . He goes to work at an inner city high school that is like nothing he has ever seen before , as he must face off a motley crew of adolescents in the classroom . Ring leader is a student psychopath (Timothy Van Patten) , a baddie who doesn't seem human , he leads his groupies on a reign of terror through the high school halls . Meanwhile , a teacher (Roddy MacDowall , though Dennis Weaver was originally offered the role but turned it down as being too violent, and this character was inspired by several true stories of school violence director had read about in papers) has brought a gun to class to control his students . There takes place some murders and a police inspector (Al Waxman) starts investigating with no results . The ominous group carries out a gang rape , then the music teacher pull off his vendetta leading to an ever higher body count . As a high school teacher determines to enforce law and order by using all kind of means , including torture and killing . Class of 1984 , is this the future?Well-remembered violent school drama from the eighties in which teenager gangs terrorize the entire high school and surroundings executing crimes and murders at random . This nasty as well as thoughtless film contains thrills , chills , intense drama , high body count and lots of violence . In fact , due to the films violent content Lester had a difficult time getting a US distributor for the film, though overseas numerous distributors bought the film and made it quite successful abroad . Upset at the violent content after a screening, screenwriter Barry Schneider had his name taken off the credits as a screenwriter of the final film . This is a bloody and gory remake update of ¨Blackboard jungle¨ (1955) . Nice acting by Perry King as an idealistic teacher in a slum area who fights doggedly to dominate his unruly students . Special mention to Timothy Van Patten playing as one of the worst villains of the cinema history and a brief role by subsequently famous Michael J Fox . As nearly every shot of Timothy Van Patten is done from a low angle, to make him more threatening. The picture achieved great success and some theaters showed the film on double bill with 'The Road Warrior (1981)' . Evocative cinematography , though a perfect remastering is urgent . Director of photography Albert J. Dunk was hired by Mark L. Lester after Lester saw his work in the film Incubus (1981). Thrilling and creaking musical score by Lalo Schifrin with initial song by Alice Cooper . The motion picture was professionally directed by Mark L Lester, who he calls this his best film . Being shot in 45 days and he cited 'Clockwork Orange (1971)' as the films biggest influence .The original picture dealing with a teacher fighting students and violent confrontation in the classroom was ¨Blackboard jungle¨ (1955) by Richard Brooks with Glenn Ford , Anne Francis , Louis Calhern , Sidney Poitier , Vic Morrow , Paul Mazurski ; it was followed by this ¨Class of 84¨ by Mark L Lester ; continued by ¨Class of 1999¨ by Mark Lester with Malcolm McDowell , Bradley Gregg , Tracy Lind , Stacy Keach , Pam Grier , Patrick Kilpatrick ; and another sequel titled ¨Class of 1992¨ by Spiro Razatos with Sasha Mitchell , Nick Cassavetes ,and Richard Hill .

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Scott LeBrun

"Class of 1984" has quite a bit of resonance not just for being a potent and entertaining trashy revenge flick but for also being more than a little prophetic. Its premise may have seemed far out at the time, but it would barely bat an eye nowadays. It's gripping stuff, well played by all involved, and certainly gets the blood boiling. The protagonists are reasonably sympathetic and the antagonists are a great deal of fun in their swaggering malevolence.Perry King ("Mandingo") stars as Andy Norris, the new music teacher at Lincoln High. Lincoln is overrun by gangs, crime, and graffiti, and people have to pass through a metal detector on their way inside the building. Andy learns soon enough that his biggest problem is a group led by the creepy Peter Stegman (a constantly amusing Timothy Van Patten). He refuses to put up with their garbage, leading to a battle of wills that climaxes in an intense and graphic bit of retribution while a band concert is going on.This is far and away one of the best films, if not the best, of director Mark Lesters' career. You really get interested in and hooked by these characters and this situation. Stegman and gang certainly go out of their way to show how rotten they are (rabbit lovers beware). Andy isn't perfect, and does let his anger cloud his judgment, which makes *him* more effective as a lead. Art direction is perfect, and the stunt work is impressive. Lalo Schifrin supplies the music score, the film includes a performance by the band Teenage Head, and the soundtrack includes tunes by Fear and a theme song belted out by Alice Cooper.King is an engaging presence in the lead, with Merrie Lynn Ross doing fine as his loving and concerned wife. Van Patten is very good as the bad guy, revealing himself as a true talent with his "concerto" sequence. Appearances are also made by Keith Knight ("My Bloody Valentine"), Lisa Langlois ("Happy Birthday to Me"), Stefan Arngrim ("Fear No Evil"), a pre-stardom Michael J. Fox as a dorky little wise guy (he's billed here without the middle initial), Canadian legend Al Waxman ('King of Kensington', 'Cagney and Lacey') as an ineffectual detective, and Erin Noble ("Incubus"). Old pro Roddy McDowall offers the standout performance as a harried biology teacher who despairs over his inability to inspire his students, and in the films' best scene, forces them to answer biology questions at gunpoint.This is must viewing for any lover of B cinema and / or the concept of punks on film. Followed by two sequels.At one point Stegman watches the 1977 Lester-directed drive-in picture "Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw" on TV.Eight out of 10.

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