Michael_Elliott Class of 1984 (1982)** 1/2 (out of 4)Music teacher Andy Norris (Perry King) arrives at a new school where on the first day he notices fellow teacher Terry (Roddy McDowall) carrying a gun. Terry educates Andy that the school is a rather violent place where everyone is carrying some sort of weapon. Pretty soon gang leader Stegman (Timothy Van Pattern) targets Andy and the attacks keep getting more violent.CLASS OF 1984 pretty much came out of nowhere and turned into a profitable hit that managed to score quite a few good reviews even from critics like Roger Ebert. The film is pretty much a mix of TO SIR WITH LOVE, DEATH WISH and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. The movie is fairly well-made considering its budget and I'd argue that the performances are quite good but it falls just a tad bit short from becoming good in my book but more on that in a bit.I think director Mark Lester does a very good job at building up the atmosphere and setting. There's not a single moment where you feel as if you're watching something on a set. Everything feels quite authentic and you really do feel as if you're in a dump of a school where the trash rules. Another plus is that King is very good in the lead role and makes a believable character. McDowall is also good in his supporting role but it's Van Pattern who steals the film as the cold-blooded creep. You even get Michael J. Fox in an early role.What bothered me most about the film was a few issues I had with the screenplay. The biggest problem is some logical issues surrounding the Principle and the cops. Are they really that stupid? There's some pretty wild and violent stuff that happens yet it's never enough for this gang to be in trouble. I don't know, everyone knows they're a "problem" yet for some reason they keep going against the teacher. The film ends up in a rather violent revenge plot that plays out quite nicely.

Prismark10 The late 1970s onwards was a period in American exploitation cinema where inner cities were full of violent gangs, uncontrolled by police and authorities. This trend continued in the 1980s with mainstream cinema churning out Death Wish and Dirty Harry sequels.This obscure B movie outing features an early film appearance by Michael J Fox, one of the few actors in this film who looks like a high school student.Perry Kings plays newbie Music teacher at Lincoln High whose idealism quickly goes out of the window as its run by a nihilistic gang of scumbags led by Peter Stegman who despite living a high style life, he can even play the piano spends most of his time living the life of violence and drug pushing. He is so bad that we even seem him and his cronies beat up a gang of black drug pushers. Well it is a far fetched film!Mr Norris is the only one to stand up to him. Despite security guards, CCTV the Dean of the school can never find any wrongdoing by the thugs and other teachers just turn a blind eye until Roddy McDowall the Biology teacher snaps that is.Timothy Van Patten is having a hoot as the vile and cunning Stegman who really gets off in bringing misery which also includes an unsettling gang rape scene. The scene in a bathroom where he frames Mr Norris was re-used in Fight Club but let's not talk about that.The film is at times preposterous with some of the students looking they are about to hit middle age. You kind of wonder why normal students come here because it is not safe or go postal with a machine gun on Stegman which is something that would happen nowadays.The film is cheesy, some uneven acting, some exploitation nudity and violence with some dark humour. After Mr Norris gets all Death Wish and starts to pursue the gang, he gets away with it because no one saw anything.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Released in the summer of 1982 the movie "Class of 1984" is really a remake of the 1955 juvenile delinquency classic "Blackboard Jungle" but far more violent with high school as well as music prodigy Peter Stegman, Thimothy Van Patten, who used his gang of thugs to terrorize everyone including teachers and principles at Lincoln High. The previous music teacher had suffered a serious accident, he fell or was pushed down a flight of stairs, and being in traction has no plans of coming back. It's now the naive and sensitive Andrew Norris, Perry King, who has no idea in what he's up against who was to take his place.Andrew Norris who was the victim together with his fellow science teacher Terry Corrigan, Roddy Mcowall, of Stegman and his gang's violent abuses that included Andrew's pregnant wife Diane, Marrie Lynn Ross, who was kidnapped and brutalized by them soon turned into a Chuck Norris in him dealing with them. That's by the time he realized that the only language that Stegman & Co. could understand is the language or violence that they inflict on others. After breaking into Terry Corrigan's laboratory and slaughtering his prized lizards rabbits and snakes he completely flipped out causing him to lose his life, in a fiery car crash, by using his car as a battering-ram against an astonished, they didn't think he had the guts to do it, Stegman & his gang.***SPOILERS*** It's while he was conducting an in school concert of the Tchackousky's 1812 Symphony that Norris got the terrible news, with photos added on, about his wife's being kidnapped beaten raped and held hostage by the Stegman gang that he simply went bananas as well as after them with such fury in that they would soon wish they were never born! With Stegman and Co. doing everything they could to murder Norris and his wife he turned the tables on them finishing them off one at a time in the most brutal ways imaginable and saving the last for gang leader Stegman himself. Savagely beaten himself Norris still held up hope for the helpless, hanging on a string, Stegman when he pleaded for him to save his life. That's until Stegman showed his true colors, by pulling out a switchblade, as an outraged and almost insane with rage Norris let him drop.

callanvass (Plot) Andy (Perry King) arrives at an inner city high school to take over the music class. What he doesn't realize is that it's filled with violence and peculiar characters. A kid named Peter Stegman runs things and is more trouble than Andy could ever imagineAlong with Savage Streets (which is quite similar in its approach in ways) this is one of my favorite exploitation films of the 80's, and in all honesty. I'd have to rank it a notch above Savage Streets, even though I adore that film as well. Class of 1984 will never be considered classic cinema, but the people that trash this film? You guys are seriously moronic. This is much more than just an exploitation film. It has a message to it, and it's also based partially on a true story. I really don't think you'd see a movie like this made today. Its subject matter is far too controversial to warrant being remade, but you never know. I wouldn't be shocked to see this get remade and receive the dreaded P.G treatment. It helps that our hero Andy (Perry King) is a likable guy for the most part. Despite a couple of questionable deeds (commandeering a student's car unauthorized and driving it into a brick wall just to get some revenge isn't exactly rational behavior, but they made it work with proper logic) I was on his side the whole way. His relentless attitude to shape the school into something worthwhile was a hoot to watch. I dug him a lot, and felt for him. Timothy Van Patten gives a chilling performance as Peter Stagmen, and one you won't soon forget. His psychotic performance will be forever entrenched in my mind. It's one of my favorite performances for a villain. Roddy McDowall adds class and emotional vulnerability to a potentially throwaway part, but he made sure that wasn't the case. Michael J. Fox has an early role in this film and I dug him. He wasn't nearly as established as he would become, though. Final Thoughts: This is a powerful film, and one of the best exploitation films around. The people that trash this film simply don't get it. Or they are appalled by the violence. I say screw them, and check it out. It's a very good movie, and worth adding to your collection.7.5/10