Bullet Points: Class of 1984
Mark L. Lester’s Class of 1984 managed to be a glimpse into the future while firmly having its feet planted in the exploitation era from the previous decade.
Movies like The Principal and The Substitute were no doubt influenced by the 1982 film, but those movies did not contain the kind of grindhouse levels of violence that Class of 1984 did.
- Schoolhouse Rock: The movie opens with music teacher Andrew Norris (Perry King, Riptide) as he embarks on his first day of teaching at Lincoln High. Lincoln High is an inner city high school in a rough part of town and is nothing like the school Mr. Norris taught at previously. There are security guards on patrol, metal detectors at the entrances and some of the teachers are even armed. Lincoln High has more than its share of problems, but the biggest problem is a gang of miscreants that are terrorizing the school. The gang leader is Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten, Zone Troopers) and he is, for all intents and purposes, a sociopath. Things between Norris and Stegman start off rocky and only get worse…
- Smokin’ in the Boys Room: In addition to his teaching duties, Mr. Norris (like all the teachers at Lincoln High) has to monitor the halls during the periods where he does not have a class to teach. Norris happens upon the tail end of a drug deal that was going down in the boys room involving Stegman and his cronies… Mr. Norris flips out and drags Stegman down the the principal’s office. Unfortunately, Principal Morganthau’s hands are tied since Mr. Norris does not have any hard evidence that the drugs he found ever belonged to Stegman. The battle lines between Norris and Stegman are clearly drawn at this point.
- Tit for Tat: There is one student, Arthur (Michael J. Fox) that was an eyewitness to Stegman slinging drugs, but he is reluctant to speak up in fear of what would happen to him if he did. One afternoon while getting a ride home from his teaching colleague Mr. Corrigan (Roddy McDowall, Planet of the Apes), Mr. Norris spots Stegman and his gang cornering Arthur and his friend Deneen in an alley downtown… Norris jumps out to help the kids from certain doom with Corrigan reluctantly backing his friend up. The next day at school Stegman and his gang respond to Mr. Norris and Mr. Corrigan interfering in their business by skinning all the animals in Mr. Corrigan’s biology classroom and sending an extremely bloody message.
- Flip the Script: After the traumatic experience of seeing all the animals he cared for brutally murdered, Mr. Corrigan flips out and we get a tense scene in his class where Corrigan pulls his gun out and starts asking Stegman and his crew questions at gunpoint… Mr. Norris is able to diffuse the situation, but he is not able to stop Corrigan later that evening from attempting vehicular homicide and run down Stegman in cold blood… this entire sequence is top notch stuff and it was beyond fun seeing Roddy McDowall in vigilante mode here.
- Symphony of Violence: Stegman ups the ante when he orchestrates a plan that will end his war with Norris once and for all and not coincidentally it will take place the same night as the big concert that Mr. Norris has been preparing his class for. With Mr. Norris at the school preparing for the concert, Stegman and company break into Norris’ home and rape Norris’ wife… they even take some Polaroid pictures of the heinous act. Right before the concert is set to begin, Mr. Norris is given a note on stage… inside a picture of his wife being raped… what happens next is a symphony of violence with Norris getting his revenge by BRUTALLY murdering the members of Stegman’s gang and setting up a rooftop showdown with Stegman.
Class of 1984 is one of those “how in the hell did it take me this long to see this?” type of movies… especially considering I am a fan of Mark L. Lester’s follow up to the movie, Class of 1999.
The carnage in Class of 1984 is unapologetic. Perry King was superb playing the decent human being that is pushed too far. Timothy Van Patten blew me away as the remorseless Stegman. Stegman was pure evil. And seeing Roddy McDowall as I had never seen him before was the icing on the cake.
Now it is time for Bulletproof Action’s answer to extra credit, take out your pens and paper and enjoy these Bonus Bullet Points…
- Alternate Universe: In addition to being a a killer, rapist and drug dealer, Stegman is actually a gifted pianist. In some alternate universe, Class of 1984 would be about Mr. Norris helping the troubled teen realize his dream of playing Carnegie Hall.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see the very Canadian Michael J. Fox raising the flag of the United States, then this is the movie for you.
- Familiar Face: Al Waxman played Detective Stewisk in Class of 1984. I recognized Al from his role in the gut wrenching Iron Eagle IV.
- Now Watching: In the scene where Peter Stegman is at home watching a movie on television, the movie is the Mark L. Lester directed Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Michael J. Fox get shanked in a high school cafeteria, then this is the movie for you.
