Scene of the Week: The Substitute – Library Throwdown

You might know Marc Anthony from his multi-platinum records or from his former marriage to Jennifer Lopez but many have forgotten his somewhat short career on screen as an actor. He has continued to make sporadic appearances in television and film over the years but there was a time in the 90’s where it seemed as though Marc Anthony might make acting his new career.

The Substitute is one of those underrated action movies of the 90’s that was successful enough to get several DTV sequels but probably not successful enough for it to get the love that it deserves. Tom Berenger plays Jonathan Shale, a badass mercenary who heads to a high school in Miami to help an old friend after she’s attacked by some gang members. Shale pretends to be a substitute teacher in order to get to the bottom of things and ends up snaking out the bad guys like a plumber snakes a drain. The following scene is one of my favorites. Shale knows who he can and cannot trust, but when he’s finally given the chance to take on a few of the bad guys head on, he takes great pleasure in righting some of the wrongs.