Fresh
There's a sense of shrewd observation throughout The Substitute that makes it come alive and seem quite a few cuts above such usual genre fare.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
The Substitute
The most dangerous thing about school used to be the students.
1996 · 1h 54m · R
Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Directed by
Robert Mandel
Overview
When an inner-city Miami schoolteacher gets her knee broken after standing up to the school's gang leader, her mercenary combat specialist boyfriend goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk. Soon he discovers a conspiracy of criminals at work, and must reassemble his team from his last jungle raid to stop them.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
42%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Aside from a lot of only moderately-satisfying violence, The Substitute comes across as rather lame.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Fresh
Those who appreciate the irony of a killing machine turned loose on a pack of nasty students will find The Substitute a source of nonstop delight.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Rotten
The title changes, the actors change, and the superficial details of the story change, but it is always about exactly the same thing: heavily armed men shooting at one another.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Rotten
The entire setup is too garish to be credible.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
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