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The Lords of Discipline

Play trailer Poster for The Lords of Discipline R 1983 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A well-regarded senior at a Southern military academy, Will McLean (David Keith) is assigned to keep an eye on the school's first African-American cadet, Tom Pearce (Mark Breland), so that no harm comes to him. Determined to protect Tom, Will discovers that there is a secret group within the academy out to recruit the new student. However, their motives aren't honorable, and they aren't concerned about taking their violent initiation too far, leading Will to step into a dangerous situation.
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The Lords of Discipline

Critics Reviews

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Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Sep 13
3/4
The film’s examination of covert fascism masked as red-blooded patriotism resonates more strongly than ever. Go to Full Review
Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal Sep 2
2.5/5
While modestly engaging, "The Lords of Discipline" never ascends in rank to the upper echelon of military-academy stories due largely to some crucial miscasting and excision of key material from Pat Conroy's source novel. Go to Full Review
Lori Hoffman Atlantic City Weekly 01/05/2007
2/5
David Cornelius DVDTalk.com 03/20/2006
2.5/5
To get to the fine moments, we must wade through some sloppy melodrama, clunky characterizations, and a hackneyed, clumsy final act. Go to Full Review
Chuck O'Leary FulvueDrive-in.com 08/31/2005
B+
A riveting drama. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/28/2005
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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Cameron C 07/20/2024 An underrated classic! See more Quinn R 11/15/2020 One of my all-time favorite books, but the movie doesn't seem to know which direction to go. Long buildup at the beginning, but an interesting premise. (63%) See more 10/17/2018 One of the best movies of all time See more 01/03/2013 A double time capsule - of military academy life in the early 60's and of film making in the early 80's. See more 10/27/2012 David Keith stands out here as he tries to protect the first African American cadet at a southern US military school in the early 1960's. Despite one cadet committing suicide, hazing remains encourged by military school officials. See more 01/31/2012 One of the first movies to take on the issue of racism. It was agreat drama and I will always enjoy this movie because it was one of the last movies I went to see with my mom. Anyway, this is a geat drama that you should have in your DVD collection. Enjoy and tell me what you think! Be good, J. See more Read all reviews
The Lords of Discipline

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Movie Info

Synopsis A well-regarded senior at a Southern military academy, Will McLean (David Keith) is assigned to keep an eye on the school's first African-American cadet, Tom Pearce (Mark Breland), so that no harm comes to him. Determined to protect Tom, Will discovers that there is a secret group within the academy out to recruit the new student. However, their motives aren't honorable, and they aren't concerned about taking their violent initiation too far, leading Will to step into a dangerous situation.
Director
Franc Roddam
Producer
Herb Jaffe, Gabriel Katzka
Screenwriter
Thomas Pope, Lloyd Fonvielle
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 18, 1983, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 12, 2014
Runtime
1h 50m
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