The Principal (1987)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Christopher Cain

Writer:

Frank Deese (writer)

Release Date:

18 September 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Rick Latimer had nothing to lose...until he was given the one job nobody else dared take.

Plot:

A teacher is assigned to be the principal of a violence and crime ridden high school.

Plot Keywords:

School | Teacher | Drugs | Violence | High School

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Belushi	...	Rick Latimer
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Jake Phillips
Rae Dawn Chong	...	Hilary Orozco
Michael Wright	...	Victor Duncan
J.J. Cohen	...	White Zac (as Jeffrey Jay Cohen)
Kelly Jo Minter	...	Treena Lester (as Kelly Minter)
Esai Morales	...	Raymi Rojas
Troy Winbush	...	Baby Emile
Jacob Vargas	...	Arturo Diego
Thomas Ryan	...	Robert Darcy (as Tommy Ryan)
Reggie Johnson	...	Jojo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mark Anger	...	Desk Officer
Annabel Armour	...	Mr.s Ripton (as Ann Armour)
Ruth Beckford	...	Mrs. Jenkins
Steve Birger	...	Stevie B. (as Steve W. Birger)
Terry Coleman	...	Student
Frank Deese	...	Mr. Petersen
Leo Downey	...	George Pierce
Richard Dupell	...	Buddy (as Richard Duppell)
Peter Fitzsimmons	...	Buddy
Joe Flood	...	Terhune
Zoltan Gray	...	P.E. Teacher
Rick Hamilton	...	Mr. Harkley
Tony Haney	...	Police Officer
J.J. Johnston	...	Will
Wood Josh	...	Charles Lester
Kathryn Knotts	...	Jan Buchanan
Danny Kovacs	...	Substitute Teacher
Yuri Lane	...	Lance Woodbury
Delores Mitchell	...	Mrs. Coswell
Marty Pistone	...	Security Guard (as Martin Pistone)
Bridgette Rodriguez	...	Girl
Daniel Royal	...	Will
Wat Takeshita	...	Maintenance Man
Sharon Thomas	...	Kimberly
Elliott S. Valderrama	...	Drug Dealer
Joan Valderrama	...	Secretary
Joel Valentin	...	Kid
John Allen Vick	...	Frank Valdis
Doug White	...	Eric
Danny Williams	...	Dangerous Danny
David Williams	...	Gang Student
Jessica Wilson	...	Girl
Tom Winston	...	Principal O'Connor
Bill Yarbrough	...	Rondell

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Company:

Dorica Film

Quotes:

Victor Duncan: If you're trying to reach me, I'll just cut your hand off.
Rick Latimer: I've got another one.

Movie Connections:

References Dirty Harry (1971)

Soundtrack:

Set it Off

Do Not Mess With This Administrator

James Belushi stars as a teacher with a short fuse who gets to become the principal of the roughest high school in the city. He turns out to be just what the doctor ordered and just what the students and employees needed. "The Principal" is a very violent film that could be best described as "Lean on Me" or "Stand and Deliver" gone stark-raving mad. Belushi is solid here and so is high school security guard Louis Gossett, Jr. in a supporting role. 4 stars out of 5.