Mörderischer Tausch (1996)

Mörderischer Tausch: Directed by Robert Mandel. With Tom Berenger, Raymond Cruz, William Forsythe, Luis Guzmán. Mercenary Shale’s team is retired after a (not so) covert mission in Cuba. He becomes substitute teacher at his teacher fiancee’s Miami high school to get those behind kneecapping her. His team helps him.

“These no-nonsense action films that try to convey some social statements have a soft spot in my books and therefore I sometimes rate these movies higher than they actually deserve. The Substitute is a late bloomer in this department since it actually received a theatrical release and did fairly well. Nowadays films like these go directly to video or television and the ambition that was invested in these films is today nonexistent.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe terribly underrated Tom Berenger plays a mercenary whose girlfriend is a teacher at a lower class high school. When sheu0026#39;s attacked by a thug Berenger creates his own resumé and teacher credentials and assumes her position at the school and becomes the substitute teacher. Once there he discovers the school is run by a corrupt drug dealing principal whou0026#39;s using some students there to help him run his operation. Naturally Berenger, along with some of his mercenary friends, take action and attempt to stop this operation which culminates in a massive shoot out on school grounds.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile this is an action movie at heart, it also tries to relate some well meaning messages about todayu0026#39;s youth. The way lower class kids are living, which is dangerously on the edge, their way of thinking and looking at the world around them. In a particularly nice scene, one character doesnu0026#39;t admit to being ashamed of how her life is but when asked if she wanted her child to replicate her life, well, thatu0026#39;s another matter indeed. That one scene explains a lot and itu0026#39;s moments like these that actually make The Substitute a little bit more interesting than many other films of similar nature.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut the film doesnu0026#39;t go too far into social matters and quickly gets down and dirty with the action, which is well served and the film never slows down too much. All the cast are willing and able to entertain, some real quality actors here and they all fare well.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Substitute in many ways represents a dying breed of movie-making and it will probably give movie fanatics a feeling of nostalgia in years to come.”