Search - One Eight Seven on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1997 DVD Release: 02/15/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 59 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Total Copies: 8 Genres: Drama, Psychological Drama, Urban Drama

A dedicated educator loses his passion for teaching as he struggles to survive in this tense urban drama. Trevor Garfield (Samuel L. Jackson) is a science teacher trying to make a difference in a tough Brooklyn high school, but he faces an uphill battle against students more interested in gang battles than education and an administration that won't back him up. When Garfield is nearly killed by one of his students, he takes a 15-month sabbatical from education and moves to California, where he takes a position as a substitute teacher. Garfield is startled to discover that things are even worse on the West Coast; while fellow educators Ellen (Kelly Rowan) and Dave (John Heard) offer whatever help and advice they can, Garfield's superiors are more concerned about fielding lawsuits than the safety of their teaching staff. Soon, Garfield finds his life is in danger when he tries to stand up to two of his pupils, Benny (Lobo Sebastian) and Cesar (Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez). One Eight Seven (the title comes from the police code for homicide) was written by Scott Yagemann, who spent seven years as a substitute teacher in California. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Samuel L. Jackson - Trevor Garfield
John Heard - Dave Childress
Kelly Rowan - Ellen Henry
Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez - Cesar
Tony Plana - Garcia

Warner Bros.' high school drama 187 comes in a crisp 1.85:1 widescreen DVD presentation with Dolby Surround Sound. Along with the usual extras of a theatrical trailer and language options, the audio commentary provides a round-table discussion by director Kevin Reynolds, screenwriter Scott Yagemann, and actors Samuel L. Jackson and Clifton Gonzalez. While Reynolds offers technical and thematic insight into this story of violence towards teachers in a Los Angeles high school, the most informative comments come from the writer, who based the screenplay on his own teaching experiences. He points out which incidents and characters are based on actual events, offering a disturbing perspective on the current environment in some public schools. The actors alleviate the seriousness by adding their own asides, backstory, and questions; particularly amusing is an ongoing joke they have about the Helen character having a crush on the gangbanger who has threatened her. Overall, the DVD is a satisfactory presentation of an average film. ~ Marina Chavez, All Movie Guide