Class of 1984 (1982)

Face the music, teacher teacher!

Director
Mark L. Lester

Cast
Perry King - Andrew Norris
Timothy Van Patten - Peter Stegman
Roddy McDowall - Terry Corrigan
Michael J. Fox - Arthur

Class of 1984 started as an informative drama, then became an action thriller, and ended as a horror movie. I've never seen a movie do that before.
It's listed on IMDB.com as an "action, crime, drama" film. I wasn't sure what this movie really wanted to be. The overall feeling was that its a sort of dystopian movie about the "current" state of American public schools and what they're likely going to become...in 1984.
It was entertaining, though, despite whatever genre it actually is.
The most notable part of this Canadian-American movie is that it starred Michael J. Fox (credited as Michael Fox). This was just before he hit major fame by starring in the sitcom Family Ties.  
The movie begins with a small prologue stating some facts about how many teachers are physically abused by their students in American high schools, and that this movie is based on true events. I thought maybe this would be a follow-up on American schools from what was portrayed in the movie Blackboard Jungle (1955). If Class of 1984 is to be believed, then nothing improved between 1955 and 1982.
Also, for this review, there will be spoilers.
Andrew Norris (Perry King) starts a new job as a music teacher at an inner-city high school. He's not accustomed to the gangs within the student body, nor the metal detector at the front door, the graffiti adorning every inch of the campus walls, and the drugs saturating the school grounds.
On his first day, he meets another teacher named Terry Corrigan (Roddy McDowall) who carries a gun to school. Corrigan tells the new teacher it's "for protection."
Norris learns that on top of his teaching duties, he also must work as a security guard during his off-periods.
During his very first class, a group of students make it a point to disturb him and his students. And some of them aren't even a part of his class.

Perry King (center) and Timothy Van Patten (left) in Class of 1984.

These rufians are part of a gang led by Peter Stegman (Timothy VanPatten) and they'll do whatever he demands.
Norris finally gets them to leave, and the other students in the class tell him they intend to learn music.
Trying to get as accustomed to the school as he can, Norris decides he wants to have his advanced students put an orchestra together and hold a concert later in the year.
Meanwhile, we see just how far gone Stegman and his gang are. They not only sell drugs in school (that was super bad in the early 80s), they also operate a strip club (there is nudity in this movie), and wreak violence where they can for the sake of violence.
Norris and Stegman's gang grow increasingly at odds the more Norris learns of Stegman's crimes and such.
At one point in the movie, Norris sees one of the gang members standing guard at the bathroom, pushing people away who try to walk in. Inside, there's a drug deal going down. A clean cut looking student is buying something from Stegman's gang. One of Norris's good students, Arthur (Michael J. Fox) is witness to the deal but won't talk for fear of retribution.
As Norris approaches, the look-out warns everyone he's coming. They toss the evidence into a urinal. When Norris checks out the scene, he finds the small bag of drugs they tossed. But that's not enough to bust anyone.
The turmoil between the music teacher and the gang continues to escalate until it reaches an ultimate showdown.
On the night of the orchestral concert, the gang breaks into Norris's home while his wife, Diane (Merrie Lynn Ross) is home alone preparing to attend the concert.
Stegman pins her to the bed and pretends to rape her while one of the other gang members takes a Polaroid photo.
They kidnap her and take her back to the school.
Just minutes before the concert, a gang member shows up and passes the photo to someone to hand to Norris.
Shocked at what he's seeing, Norris runs after them without saying a word to anyone.
The movie never has a dull moment.
I wondered why these far-gone students even bothered to attend school if their so void of morality, responsibility and self-control.
I recently watched and reviewed the 1987 movie The Principal with John Belushi as the new principal of an inner-city high school. I asked the same question with that film. However, Class of 1984 does provide a bit of an answer.
In one scene, Norris feels the necessity to visit Stegman's home to speak with his parents. He finds that his mom is ready to jump at the defense of her son in a heartbeat. She is either blind to her son's activities, or Stegman is really great at hiding it all from her. But no doubt she makes sure he goes to school. Her role certainly makes a clear point about a parent's part in their child's behavior.
All the while, the police and school security are not much help as none of them ever has any hard evidence of any crime. The law is portrayed as favoring students no matter how far their crimes go. Meanwhile, teachers suffer at the unsympathetic binds of the law.

Michael J. Fox and Erin Noble 

I appreciate how Norris is portrayed as flawed in his own way. He allowed himself to deal with the intimidation impulsively. It's easier, and maybe more satisfying that way, but in his authoritative position it works more in the favor of the antagonists. 

He grows too violent, lowering himself to the level of the thugs albeit justified in his own mind because he's the authority.
In the final climax of the movie, Norris and one of Stegman's cronies find themselves in a shop room. They both tackle each other, and the thug pins Norris onto a table saw inches away from the blade. He turns the machine on and tries to push Norris's face into it, but Norris gets the upper hand. He pins the thug onto the table saw, and has the thug's arm outstretched in front of the spinning, wheezing blade.
He looks at the blade. We know what he's thinking. There's no way he'll go through with it. But, he does. He slices the guy's arm clean off. When he gets off the table, screaming in pain, Norris slams him backside down onto the blade and leaves him for dead.
The horror aspect of this movie continues as two other gang members chase him into the school's auto repair classroom.
Norris pours gasoline on the floor and one of the thugs goes up in flames. The other member tries to run over Norris with a car. She crashes into a wall, and Norris releases another car on the lift over her. It crashes on top and pins her in, barely conscious.
The entire scenario with Norris is hard to justify. Sure, his actions are based on self-defense, but he resorted to murder in a way that's very retaliatory. Can that be justified?
The movie intended to be raw, gritty, and revealing. I think it tried to hard to showcase violence in public schools. The thugs weren't just bad. They were irredeemably bad and over their heads in anti-social behavior. Thanks to the beginning of the movie, I was under the impression this was going to be more of an informative movie rather than a picture similar to Escape From New York. It went a little over-board on the revealing part, making the issue of crime in public schools as in-your-face as it possibly could.
The performances are great. Each actor seems to put a lot of effort into their roles, specifically Timothy Van Patten. They try to make something that would leave an impression on audiences, and entertaining them as well. It shows.
For what it is, Class of 1984 is an entertaining movie.