Class of 1984

Made in 1982, this exploitation film offers an ‘80s update on the fears-of-high-school-violence theme, set in a society in which poverty and inner-city crime have turned urban schools into battlegrounds. Perry King stars as the new teacher in a school with security guards, where students pass through metal detectors, and gangs go to war over the drug trade. Timothy Van Patten costars as a hyper-intense gangleader and piano prodigy who rebels against his coddled upper-middle class upbringing by playing the brutal, bullying nihilist. "Life... is pain. Pain... is everything. You... you will learn!" he threatens the earnest teacher, growling the lines like a madman from a 1940s horror movie. The clash of wills with the teacher evolves into a personal vendetta that ends with the teacher's pregnant wife being raped, and a subsequent climactic fight. Filmmaker Mark Lester's Class of 1984 is like Blackboard Jungle by way of The Warriors, with the student gang dressed in a confused mix of punk, New Wave, neo-Nazi, and disco peacock fashions (an apparent attempt to represent all of the recognizable social youth identities of the time). It's more interesting as a time capsule slice of early ‘80s exploitation cinema than as a worthwhile film, although it has achieved minor cult movie status thanks to its outsized portrait of ‘80s rebellion, and a notable cast that includes Roddy McDowall as a biology teacher driven to violence, and Michael J. Fox as a good-natured music student. Making its Blu-ray debut, extras include audio commentary by Lester, new cast and crew interviews, and a behind-the-scenes featurette. Not a necessary purchase. (S. Axmaker)