Three O'Clock High
Universal Pictures
CAST: Casey Siemaszko, Anne Ryan, Richard Tyson, Jeffrey Tambor, Philip Baker, Hall John P. Ryan, Stacey Glick and Jonathan Wise.
DIRECTOR: Phil Joanou
RATING: Rated PG-13
RUNNING TIME: 97 minutes
1987
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Recently the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) conducted a sweeping survey of 15,686 students within the United States. This survey (which was published in the April 25TH issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association) yielded some surprising statistics about the effects of the traditional bully within the school environment. The findings estimated that on average over 1.6 million children are victims of bullies on any given week, and that 30% of all U.S. students in grades six through ten are currently engaged in bullying - as bullies, as victims, or as both. This survey has led experts to believe that the effects of bullying include not just emotional stress, but an actual increase in violence and, in a few disturbing instances, retaliatory homicide among the victims.
No kidding. I mean, Jerry Mitchell could have told you that back in 1987.
While it was films such as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club that seemingly defined high school life in the 1980's, it's actually director Phil Joanou's bully-from-hell kinetic masterpiece Three O' Clock High that knocks this tired genre right on its ass. A cinematic fireworks display of virtuoso camerawork and inspired acting, Three O' Clock High is a savagely funny comic gem whose rabid cult following is richly deserved.
The base structure of the film is methodically conformed to that of a classic Hollywood Western archetype: villain enters town and challenges hero to a high noon showdown. Only this time around the town is cleverly set inside the halls of a suburban high school; the high noon showdown has been slightly altered to “after school”; the hapless hero simply manages the student store; and the villain has been created from the fires of Hell itself.
One of the most memorable characterizations in film history, Richard Tyson's unforgettable portrayal of Buddy Revell is the definitive screen bully. All black leather and attitude, the absurdly muscular Buddy is an overwhelming antagonistic menace. A locker room Terminator, Buddy Revell is blessed with the kind of back-story (stabbed a teacher; broke a kid's neck) that most villains would drool over.
Equally effective is Casey Siemaszko as doomed protagonist Jerry Mitchell. A brilliantly stylized opening segment quickly introduces Jerry's bad hair day world: He overslept; clean clothes are still in the washer; the tires are slashed on his car; and he's just been assigned to write a welcoming piece about Buddy Revell for the school paper. This breathless first act concludes in hilarious fashion when Buddy Revell absurdly challenges Jerry Mitchell to a fight after school.
The film's second act chronicles Jerry's numerous failed attempts to escape the impending confrontation. It's during these moments that Three O' Clock High truly becomes a masterpiece. While Jerry tries desperately to avert the situation, director Phil Joanou keeps ratcheting up the comedy and suspense, all the while creating a visual scheme that is nothing but astonishing.
The third act details the fight, and the moment is no letdown. By seemingly taking a page from the Rocky series, Phil Joanou stages this awesome confrontation with enough wiz-bang trickery for several action films. And while the climax comes off like the Mad Max of fisticuffs, the film never once loses its keen sense of satire.
At turns hilarious, poignant and suspenseful, Three O' Clock High is aided considerably by inspired cinematography, rapid-fire editing, and a fine Tangerine Dream score. Phil Joanou's best film, Three O' Clock High is a great motion picture that leaves the senses black and blue from a visual beating.
--Yim Kip
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