No one is ever going to mistake this for a great movie. But, then again, it doesn't have to be great, it just has to do what it sets out to do and it does that reasonably well. From the basic plot you expect another of those movies about a gang and drug infested high school being turned around by a no-nonsense newcomer. Admittedly, that would be pretty ho-hum; it's been done a lot. There's some of that in "The Substitute," but there's a lot more than that - which both helps and hurts the movie. Essentially, the guy who sets out to deal with the troublemakers (Shale, played by Tom Berenger) is actually a mercenary soldier who decides to stick it to the gangs after his teacher girlfriend gets hurt by them. So he poses as a teacher and gets into the school (unbeknownst to anyone there) as her substitute, where he starts to take stock of the situation.
On the plus side, that gives a bit of a fresh feel to the story, and Berenger was OK in the role. It starts off a little bit slow but picks up the pace and the final confrontation between Shale and his men and the gang is a pretty good battle. It's quite violent, but there is a lot of action and the story never gets boring. Shale is a hero you can relate to. He's no superman; he definitely has vulnerabilities. On the minus side, the movie really is over the top - especially that last confrontation, coming replete with hand grenades and rocket launchers - and it has a bit of a cheap feel to it.
Overall, it's a time waster - and an effective one. It holds your attention in a mindless sort of way. There's not a single thing about it that's believable, but that's OK. It passes the time. (5/10)
On the plus side, that gives a bit of a fresh feel to the story, and Berenger was OK in the role. It starts off a little bit slow but picks up the pace and the final confrontation between Shale and his men and the gang is a pretty good battle. It's quite violent, but there is a lot of action and the story never gets boring. Shale is a hero you can relate to. He's no superman; he definitely has vulnerabilities. On the minus side, the movie really is over the top - especially that last confrontation, coming replete with hand grenades and rocket launchers - and it has a bit of a cheap feel to it.
Overall, it's a time waster - and an effective one. It holds your attention in a mindless sort of way. There's not a single thing about it that's believable, but that's OK. It passes the time. (5/10)