Class of 1984
Directed by Mark L. Lester
Anchor Bay Entertainment


This is an almost forgotten gem that I have wanted to see for a very long time and thanks to the folks at Anchor Bay an excellent DVD is now readily available. If you are a fan of movies like 1990: Bronx Warriors, Endgame, or any of the many other ultra violent yet slightly cheesy action movies of the 80's and you have never seen this movie, what the hell are you waiting for?

The basic premise of the movie is that a high school has become overrun with gangs and violence and the teachers are powerless to do anything about it. A teacher then transfers to the school and can't believe or understand what it going on. He is the first teacher to take a stand and fight back. Without giving much away, the rest of the film is basically a game of cat and mouse with each side taking their turns and playing both sides of the field and become increasingly violent until the climax.

The violence in the film was probably a bit more shocking when the film was originally released. That said this is a violent movie with no shortage of fist fights, knife fights and even a fight on a table saw. But because of this being an older film the violence seems a bit more realistic than and not as fantastical as they portrayed violence in many modern movies.

Along with a pristine widescreen print of the film, the DVD also boasts some impressive extras. An excellent behind the scenes segment brings to light the inspiration for the film and how the script came together. I think the director might think a bit too highly of the film though as he said it should have served as a warning as to what high school might become in the future. Sure, high schools did become more violent, but did the director really think a movie this violent and light on plot would make a difference?

This may not be a movie that would win any awards, but fans of action movies especially those with a bit of a punk rock slant to them will want to dig up a copy of this classic.

Anchor Bay Entertainment