The Substitute [VHS]

The Substitute [VHS]

Category: (Video)

3 new, starting at $6.43

33 used, starting at $0.99

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Customer Reviews

Always Satisfying To See Punks Get It

Reviewed by Craig Connell, 2009-05-28

Even though it was kind of a low-class type of story and movie with mostly bad, profane people tossing the f-word around like it was candy, it still was an enjoyable movie in a lot of parts and certainly had a satisfying ending.

Tom Berenger is good to watch. He's convincing as a tough guy substitute teacher "Jonathan Shale" who won't put up with the punks in the classroom. And, boy, you see the worst group of high school students I've ever seen on film.

It's tough to imagine kids harder to encounter than these slime-balls but satisfying to see them dealt with accordingly. Like a good revenge movie, you'll get satisfaction.

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Reviewed by Reality Check, 2009-05-25

Order arrived on time and in the condition described. Berenger provides an action hero in this first of the 4 Substitute movies. The premise is sort of a stretch but if you can accept it, the rest follows a reasonable path. The character has someone else hack into computers to give him credentials but doesn't have the build up to explain how he could be a substitute teacher. The number of people in his "crew" and fire fights that followed were more realistic in: that many bullets flying around odds are people are going to get hit and some die. Lots of action movies have the heroes going through a hail of bullets and not getting a scratch.
The follow on Substitute movies [2 - 4] had Berenger replaced with Treat Williams who had a better background for the character to explain how he could be a teacher.
Not sure why he didn't continue on with the series. He did go on to the Sniper series [3 movies] some years later.

Suprisingly Effective Berenger Action Movie

Reviewed by Terence Allen, 2007-04-12

The Substitute is one of those movies that you fear is going to be horrible, regardless of its potential. But it is actually a very entertaining movie that is a must-see for action movie buffs, and military/paramilitary movie buffs.

Berenger plays a mercenary who leads a team that travels all over the world engaging in clandestine activities. Back home in Florida with his girlfriend, Berenger springs into action when his teacher girlfriend is hurt by a thug at the high school where she teaches. Berenger decides to investigate undercover at the school, and he lands there as a history teacher. He soons finds that his girlfriend's assailant is a gang member helping to deal drugs out of the school. With the help of his team, Berenger works to uncover and smash the drug plot and revenge his girlfriend's assault. Ernie Hudson of Ghostbusters fame is the principal at the school who ends up getting his own mercenaries to protect his interests.

Berenger is not really known for being in action films, but he is very menacing and believable in this role. This is an excellent action film.

A movie worth watching

Reviewed by L Gontzes, 2006-04-23

A very good movie, Substitute, brings to the screen the story of a professional mercenary who goes undercover posing as a substitute teacher in an effort to shed light on the kneecapping of his fiancee, a history teacher at a Miami-Dade drug-infested high school, by gang members. What he finds though might be a bit more than he had anticipated...
There is obvious similarity between Substitute and Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeifer (and which was released the previous year) in having teachers in classrooms with unruly students ending up winning them over.
Tom Berenger, Marc Antony (!), Ernie Hudson and the rest of the cast, with the exception of Diane Venora who is not really that great in her role as Jane Hetzko, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows allowing for a highly entertaining movie.
The plot, the setting, and the music are all EXCELLENT.
Overall, it is a movie definitely worth watching, as it will surely provide for an evening's entertainment!

I give it "TWO THUMBS UP"

Reviewed by Ronnie Clay, 2005-08-15

Tom Berenger plays Shale a mercenary who left his undercover job in Cuba now he is a undercover high school teacher at Columbus High in Miami wear not the students but other people are running a drug shipment keep the crack even the principal is in on it. Shale even changes his name as he pretends to be a teacher he is now call James Smith.