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The Substitute

Play trailer Poster for The Substitute R 1996 1h 54m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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42% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Inner-city Miami schoolteacher Jane Hetzko (Diane Venora) gets her knee broken when she stands up to the school's gang leader, Juan Lacas (Marc Anthony). Her boyfriend, mercenary combat specialist Jonathan Shale (Tom Berenger), goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk, but soon discovers that Lacas is merely an underling for the real criminal mastermind. Assembling the team from his last jungle raid, led by his right-hand man, Joey Six (Raymond Cruz), Shale declares war.
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The Substitute

Critics Reviews

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Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times 02/13/2001
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. Go to Full Review Keith Simanton Film.com 01/01/2000
An angry, white, mercenary movie out to spill blood and beat its manly chest. Go to Full Review John Hartl Film.com 01/01/2000
There's a certain amount of camp value to this over-the-top thriller, which might as well be called Rambo Goes to High School. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 01/31/2021
2.5/4
...an appealingly larger-than-life premise that's employed to watchable yet consistently (and disappointingly) hit-and-miss effect... Go to Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn 01/14/2021
1/5
This movie was a mess. Tom Berenger was atrocious. Go to Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn 01/14/2021
1/5
This was really bad. It was over the top and completely insane. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago s @Thiagostone 5d Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Jimmie W. @jimbobwillie Sep 22 This probably broke some records for F-word use in 1996. See more alan g @agenser Aug 12 The predator in Miami. See more Phillip H Aug 1 It’s a fun 90s action film See more David H Jul 21 poor acting. fights looked so scripted. not worth the time. See more James T Jun 14 Absolutely one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I want my time back. Don't waste your time, like I did. See more Read all reviews
The Substitute

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Mandel

Director

Tom Berenger

Jonathan Shale

Ernie Hudson

Principal Claude Rolle

Diane Venora

Jane Hetzko

Marc Anthony

Juan Lacas

Glenn Plummer

Mr. Darrell Sherman

Movie Clips

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The Substitute

The Substitute: Official Clip - I Can't Get Higher The Substitute: Official Clip - I Can't Get Higher 2:31 The Substitute: Official Clip - Smile, You're on Candid Camera The Substitute: Official Clip - Smile, You're on Candid Camera 2:18 The Substitute: Official Clip - No Talking in the Library The Substitute: Official Clip - No Talking in the Library 2:22 The Substitute: Official Clip - Power Perceived is Power Achieved The Substitute: Official Clip - Power Perceived is Power Achieved 2:01 The Substitute: Official Clip - I'm the Substitute The Substitute: Official Clip - I'm the Substitute 3:06 The Substitute: Official Clip - Fiber & Flushing The Substitute: Official Clip - Fiber & Flushing 3:12 The Substitute: Official Clip - The Warrior Chief The Substitute: Official Clip - The Warrior Chief 2:26 The Substitute: Official Clip - Jai alai The Substitute: Official Clip - Jai alai 2:27 The Substitute: Official Clip - Too Small Balls The Substitute: Official Clip - Too Small Balls 2:08 The Substitute: Official Clip - Some Things Can't be Taught The Substitute: Official Clip - Some Things Can't be Taught 1:36 View more videos

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The Substitute

The Substitute (1996) The Substitute (1996) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Inner-city Miami schoolteacher Jane Hetzko (Diane Venora) gets her knee broken when she stands up to the school's gang leader, Juan Lacas (Marc Anthony). Her boyfriend, mercenary combat specialist Jonathan Shale (Tom Berenger), goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk, but soon discovers that Lacas is merely an underling for the real criminal mastermind. Assembling the team from his last jungle raid, led by his right-hand man, Joey Six (Raymond Cruz), Shale declares war.
Director
Robert Mandel
Producer
Morrie Eisenman, Jim Steele
Screenwriter
Roy Frumkes, Rocco Simonelli, Alan Ormsby
Production Co
Live Entertainment, Lionsgate, Mediaworks
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 1, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.8M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Surround
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