Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- aggressive
- confrontational
- 1980s movie night
- action movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a formulaic, cliche-driven action drama whose school setting and performances could not overcome its revenge-movie conventions.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rick Latimer arrives as a punitive transfer and confronts a school dominated by drugs, weapons, and youth gangs.
The school’s administration and social environment have deteriorated to the point that violence and trafficking are routine.
Critical discussion specifically identifies the film as participating in a white savior framework through Rick’s role as reforming authority.
The deserted school becomes the setting for gang confrontations, weapons, pursuit, and violent struggles for control.
Films like The Principal, and why
The Substitute
school-based action drama featuring an adult authority figure confronting violent youth gangs and institutional disorder
Colors
1980s urban crime drama combining community violence, youth alienation, and a determined outsider seeking control
Class of 1984
hard-edged school drama centered on dangerous students, social dysfunction, and an authority figure attempting reform
Walking Tall
action-driven crime drama about an embattled protagonist confronting entrenched criminal power and corruption
Movie Details
- Director
- Christopher Cain
- Release Date
- 1987-09-18
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (318)
Cast
- Jim Belushi
- Louis Gossett Jr.
- Rae Dawn Chong
- Kelly Jo Minter
- Michael Wright
- J.J. Cohen
- Esai Morales
- Troy Winbush
- Jacob Vargas
- Annabel Armour
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Philo, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Principal about?
- A disgraced teacher takes charge of a violent inner-city school and wages a forceful campaign against gangs, drugs, and institutional chaos.
- What is The Principal like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Principal as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Principal violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Principal as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Principal?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a formulaic, cliche-driven action drama whose school setting and performances could not overcome its revenge-movie conventions.
- Which films are like The Principal?
- Films with a similar feel include The Substitute, Colors, Class of 1984, and Walking Tall.
- How long is The Principal?
- The Principal runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Principal?
- In United States, The Principal streams on fuboTV, Philo, Howdy Amazon Channel.
