The Substitute Information

The Substitute is a 1996 action-crime-thriller film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Tom Berenger, Ernie Hudson, Marc Anthony, William Forsythe, Raymond Cruz, and Luis Guzmán.

Plot

The plot revolves around Shale (Berenger), a mercenary and a Vietnam veteran who goes undercover as a high school teacher in Miami to combat a gang. In the beginning of the film Shale comes home from a disastrous mission where three of his men were killed in an operation in Cuba. He arrives in Miami to find out that a knee-cap attack has left his girlfriend Jane Hetzko with a broken leg. Shale decides to play the part of a Harvard-educated substitute teacher and recruit his former soldiers (Raymond Cruz, Luis Guzmán, Richard Brooks, and William Forsythe) in order to find the culprits. While teaching history, Shale crosses paths with "Kings of Destruction" (KOD) gang leader Juan Lacas (Marc Anthony). Shale realizes that Lacas is responsible for Jane's attack, but that is just the tip of the iceberg of his nefarious activities. Shale's team infiltrates the school and sets up military surveillance gear throughout the bathrooms and corridors which lead to the discovery that Lacas is in cahoots with principal Rolle (Ernie Hudson) to use the school buses and their secret storage compartments as conduits for a heroin distribution ring in the greater Miami area.

Criticism

In an article about films about troubled teens, The AV Club stated "There have been plenty of movies about white people coming into inner-city schools and whipping the students into shape, but nothing quite like The Substitute, which brings the subtly racist, paternalistic elements of those films right to the surface."

Cast

• Tom Berenger as Jonathan Shale/Mr. James Smith
• Ernie Hudson as Principal Claude Rolle
• Diane Venora as Jane Hetzko
• Marc Anthony as Juan Lacas
• Glenn Plummer as Mr. Darrell Sherman
• Cliff De Young as Matt Wolfson
• William Forsythe as Hollan
• Raymond Cruz as Joey Six
• Sharron Corley as Jerome Brown
• Luis Guzmán as Rem
• Richard Brooks as Wellman

Soundtrack

See The Substitute (soundtrack) for more information A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on April 9, 1996 by Priority Records. It peaked at #90 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Sequels

Three direct-to-DVD sequels were made with Treat Williams replacing Tom Berenger: The Substitute 2: School's Out, The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All, and The Substitute 4: Failure Is Not An Option.

Home media

The movie was first released on DVD in 1997 by LIVE Entertainment. It was re-released on DVD and bundled with The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All in 2000.