187

Don't make the mistake of assuming that 187 is an urban classroom drama in the mold of Dangerous Minds. Though it deals with an inner city teacher (played by Samuel L. Jackson) attempting to get through to his students, this story isn't about a dedicated teacher changing lives in spite of socio-economic hardships and an oppressive tie-in soundtrack. No, 187 is actually a horror movie, or at least it should have been. Director Kevin Reynolds fails to focus on the tension and desperation in Jackson's performance as the teacher on the verge of a nervous breakdown; instead trying to dazzle the audience with a distracting grab-bag of film school trickery. This could have been the urban high school film we've needed for years, one which avoids simplistically describing that world as "gritty" or "tough." As 187 suggests, the appropriate word is "terrifying." Not a necessary purchase. (S. Renshaw)