REVIEW – Class of 1984

Published on: 16th December, 2009

REVIEW - Class of 1984  | read this item

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Seventeen years before Columbine brought the shocking violence of American high schools to the attention of the world, Mark L. Lester’s 1982 thriller Class of 1984 portrayed a society in which the children are violent and unforgiving and the teachers are powerless to fight back. Whilst now the concept of metal detectors in school seems almost commonplace, back in the early 1980s this almost seemed a little farfetched, proving that Lester’s movie (based on a story by future Child’s Play director Tom Holland) was way ahead of its time. Now high school shootings occur regularly in America and political correctness and the lack of proper evidence has resulted in teachers being unable to prevent the troublemakers from committing these crimes. Now, almost thirty years later, Class of 1984 is more relevant than ever.

Abraham Lincoln High is an institution on the wrong side of tracks, with the few good kids outnumbered by the troublesome and criminal. New to this environment is Andrew Norris (Perry King), a replacement teacher who recently arrived in town and is unaware of the crime problem the area suffers from. After witnessing one teacher carrying a gun into school, he almost immediately falls foul of the school gang, lead by Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten): a dangerous and arrogant thug who just happens to be an amazing pianist and a very intelligent boy. But when Norris tries to enforce his authority over his dysfunctional class, not only his own life but that of his pregnant wife, Diane (Merrie Lynn Ross), is in danger. But without sufficient evidence, Norris in unable to gain the support of the police and so is forced to endure the wrath of Stegman and his gang.

Class of 1984 is an excellent slice of early ‘80s cinema and portrayed the teenage life more accurately than the fluffy brat pack flicks of John Hughes. Even more savage than Heathers, Class of 1984 showed that without proper discipline and education, children would become unruly and even dangerous. With both political correctness and juvenile laws protecting Stegman, even when one of his number stab a kid (played by a baby-faced Michael J. Fox) whom they believe has ratted on them, the gang are free to break whichever rules they want without fear of punishment. When Norris eventually snaps and drags Stegman into the washroom to confront him, the kid smashes his own face into a mirror and then accuses Norris of assaulting him. Like Stegman declares, he owns the school.

Before resorting to vigilante action for the final act, Lester and John Saxton’s screenplay (with the assistance of Holland) cleverly builds up the tension as its protagonist is stripped of all power and become defenseless against his pupils, even when they set fire to his car and attack one his hes fellow teachers, played by Roddy McDowall). The film has a message and that is if the country is not careful then this is how society and its youth will become: disrespectful, violent and destructive. In the society that we live in today, in which gangs of teenagers commit random acts of violence for fun, films such as Class of 1984 and A Clockwork Orange become uneasy to view, as what they had predicted so long ago has finally come true.

The cast are first rate, with King (who would appear on the show Spin City shortly after Fox left due to illness) perfect as the wet-behind-the-ears teacher who must ‘man up’ to defeat the kids at their own game. Another fine performance comes from Van Patten, both charismatic and obnoxious as the main antagonist, who constantly pushes the hero as far as he can until he eventually and inevitably fights back. Sadly, Van Patten would not pursue an acting career, despite obviously being talented, but would instead become a successful directing, helming the likes of The Wire and The Sopranos. Ross, McDowall and Fox all provide support (although the latter is far from the charming days of Back to the Future), as does the rest of the cast.

What exactly the filmmakers were intending on saying with Class of 1984 is uncertain: did they really predict that this would happen or was this merely a worse case scenario? Either way, this makes the movie all the more effective, although even without this relevance it is still very entertaining. Although there are a few of the dated ‘80s charms (some bad hair, punk style and not one of Alice Cooper’s best tracks), Class of 1984 has aged surprisingly well and still holds up as an excellent thriller that is strong on character and pace, whilst also delivering the goods in the sex and violence. To say so many mediocre movies made their way onto the ‘video nasty’ list in the UK at that time, it is surprising that this film was never included, as violence between teachers and students has always been a touchy subject. Regardless, this is an underrated classic and a must see!

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