The Principal

Infobox_Film
name = The Principal


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Christopher Cain
writer = Frank Deese
starring = James Belushi
Louis Gossett, Jr.
Rae Dawn Chong
Kelly Jo Minter
cinematography = Arthur Albert
music = Jay Gruska
editing = Jack Hofstra
producer = Thomas H. Brodek
distributor= TriStar Pictures
released = September 18, 1987
runtime = 109 minutes
language = English
country = United States
amg_id = 1:139226
imdb_id = 0093780

"The Principal" is a 1987 film starring James Belushi and Louis Gossett, Jr. It was directed by Christopher Cain and written by Frank Deese.

Taglines

*"At a high school where the students major in arson, extortion and assault, one man just might be crazy enough to turn things around..."
*"He's teaching the students of Brandel High two words: NO MORE."
*"To tame the roughest, meanest and wildest high school in the district, they needed an administrator who was rougher, meaner and wilder. Enter Rick Latimer."
*"An educator who never plays by the rules. A high school where the only law is survival. Will he break it before it breaks him?"
*"Rick Latimer had nothing to lose...until he was given the one job nobody else dared take."

Plot

Rick Latimer (Belushi) is a high-school teacher with a drinking problem. Spotting his ex-wife in a bar one night, Rick gets into a fight with the man she's with, culminating in his beating the hapless man's car with a baseball bat. The board of educators then decides that the best way to deal with Rick is to transfer him out to another school - Brandel High, known as a run-down school where gangs rule the hallways, where Rick will be the new principal. Rather than sitting back and letting things stay the same, Rick attempts to have a school assembly to declare his intentions for the school - "No more." No more drugs, running in the hallways or being late to class. While he's giving his speech, Victor Duncan (Wright), the leader of the main gang in the school, walks in, derides Rick in front of everyone, then walks out, which eventually results in a small riot, which earns Rick the enmity of not only the teachers but also school custodian Jake (Gossett Jr.).

Eventually, Rick manages to enforce his policy of getting rid of the drugs being dealt in the bathrooms and clearing out the hallways - but not always with success. Because the students are now forced to go to class, some of the more unruly students disrupt the class, including White Zac (J.J. Cohen), who eventually attempts to rape one of the teachers, Ms. Orozco (Chong). Victor, meanwhile, continues to assert his influence on the school, going so far as to brutally beat a former member of his gang and hang him by his ankles when the member warms to Rick and actually starts learning. The clash between Rick and Victor eventually leads to a showdown in the school halls, where Jake is temporarily locked inside a supply closet while Victor and his gang hunt down Rick. In the end, Victor and Rick fight each other with their fists, with Victor seemingly having the upper hand until Rick stops him and declares, "My turn!" Rick then beats Victor, pushing him back until he knocks Victor out in front of the rest of the school, which had been waiting outside to see who would win. When some of the students start fighting each other over the result, Rick again declares "No more!" Victor is taken away in a police car, and Rick rides off on his motorcycle, declaring to a student who derisively asks "Who does he think he is man?" "I'm the principal, man!"

Cast

* 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

External links

*imdb title|id=0093780|title=The Principal