One Eight Seven (1997)

15 months after being stabbed 9 times by a student at work as a high school teacher in NYC, Mr. Garfield is working in LA as a substitute teacher come full-time. He refuses to be a victim anymore.

Director:

Kevin Reynolds

Writer:

Scott Yagemann

Stars:

Samuel L. Jackson, John Heard, Kelly Rowan

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Jonny Bogris	...	Barsek (as Yannis Bogris)
Dominic Hoffman	...	Victor
Martha Velez	...	Mrs. Chacon
Method Man	...	Dennis Broadway

Storyline

High school teacher Trevor Garfield is stabbed by bad-boy student. Fifteen months later, he moves to Los Angeles to the unruly, predominantly Latino school. He has to tame wolf-like students.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher as protagonist | teacher | high school | stabbing | new york city | 

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Taglines:

When schools become war zones and both sides start taking casualties, what then?

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, strong language, drug use and brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

30 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

187

Filming Locations:

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,912,400, 3 August 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$5,716,080, 7 September 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Icon Entertainment International, Icon Productions, R U Dun Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While riding his exercise bike, Trevor Garfield (Samuel L. Jackson) wears a Morehouse College sweatshirt, Jackson's alma mater.

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Goofs

When Cesar and his friends are in the car right before they enter Garfield's house, they all pass around what seems to be a marijuana joint. But the camera's closeup of it reveals it to be a regular cigarette.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

A teacher wrote this movie.

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Alternate Versions

When aired on USA Network, the scene where Rita is topless uses different camera angles to avoid nudity.

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Connections

Referenced in Terror in the Mall (1998)

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Soundtracks

Mankind
Written by Jalal Nuriddin and Little Axe (as Bernard Alexander)
Performed by Jalal Nuriddin (as Jalal)
Courtesy of On-U Sound Records

User Reviews

A review on "187"

Samuel L. Jackson is not only one of the coolest guys alive, he´s also a great character actor what this film shows very impressively. I don´t know how bad the circumstances at some American schools really are, but I think "187" is much more realistic than liars like "Dangerous Minds". Kevin Reynolds also did a great job as director. In the whole film there are no spectacular things happening, but it is suspense-packed and dramatic from beginning till the end. Also the photography and the score are excellent, because they reflect the depressive and hopeless situation perfectly. The "Deer Hunter"-like showdown and the desperate speech of Rita at the end will keep you sitting on the chair, left deep impressed and considering, while the whole film is already over for a long time. (9/10)