One Eight Seven (1997)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

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

Colour:

Colour

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:

Continuity: When Cesar is walking alone and sees the dog, he says "stupid gato", which means stupid cat, not dog. This could just be because he is high as a kite though.

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:

References "Kung Fu" (1972)

Soundtrack:

Release Yo' Delf

Tight, well-directed, well-acted

Capturing just a glimpse of the threat and dangers of gangs in schools, 187 provides a chilling story of survival in public schools. Samuel Jackson portrays all the levels of emotions and we get behind his crusade to clean up the useless waste of human flesh.

A jewel in this movie is the performance of Clifton Collins as Cesar Sanchez. He shows the depth of anger and (at the end) the desperate need for identity that only his gang can provide.

The climax scene, although shocking, makes perfect sense. There is no alternative that wouldn't be a cop-out and it couldn't be portrayed any better.