The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option (2001)

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Blistering performances.

With the exception of "The Godfather," "Rocky," and "The Jolson Story," I can't think of any movies in the history of the art of film which have been worth watching with a "II" or a "2" after the title - much less the successors with even higher digits. (I'm aware "Jolson" didn't employ a number - but this principal applies to sequels without them as well.) "Godfather III," Rocky's IV and V," the "Batman" successors, sequels to earlier successes such as "Romancing the Stone" -- none lived-up to their originals, and most were basically awful,The "Subsistute" series of dramas has gone farther than it probably should have, especially reaching the "4" level, but at least the settings and scenarios have had some variance.Treat Williams is a good actor - he's portrayed both decent guys and horses' asses capably. But these flicks, when all is said and done, present the types of proceedings which Steven Seagel would deliver but for two things Williams has and he doesn't: classic good-looks, and acting ability.Of all the scenes, the most amusing and redeeming was where the military institution is having a formal ball, with one of the duded-up officers and his lady waltzing like competitors at a dance contest in Vienna -- while the sociopathic Colonel heading the facility, and his hand-picked group of cadets in his nefarious racist cadre, slink out to engage in some KKK-type hi-jinks.Just about every line of prejudiced dialog involving the evil Colonel (whose sole agenda seems to be what David Duke's would be in this position) while delivered in the most sinister and vile manner, seems more like something Belushi and his group on SNL, or the folks on MAD TV, might have dreamed-up and performed with their tongues virtually protruding from their cheeks.Still, a "campy" piece of entertainment, purely average, on an afternoon if you have nothing pressing for a couple of hours. 5* on this basis, 1 additional for Williams' presence.

Treat Willaims returns as Karl Thomasson who once again this time teaches at a military academy where white supremacists are ruling with an iron fist (Led by Patrick Kilpatrick) here Williams uses his marine issue training to take on kids who also have the necessary hand to hand goods to give him a run for the money. Also there is Bill Nunn and Angie Everhart who provide our hero with the goods necessary (That is sex in Everhart's case) to squash their movement right here, right now. I just noticed that this entry was directed by the guy who gave us Best Of The Best and it's even dumber sequel. I was going to compare this to Best Of The Best 3 which is among the most offensive movies ever made but in doing so the fact remains that Radler isn't guilty of making such lousiness. The Substitute 4 is actually not too bad in it's B.movie type of way, the movie has tons of violence and Treat Williams holds his own surprisingly well and the racism angle never feels offensive since we aren't treated to a pretentious attitude regarding it. Therefore the movie is watchable and works in satisfying the type of person who rents movies that bypass theaters. In this regard the movie works and it has some quite exciting action in the process. The only problem is that, well it also inherits the problems of being a B.movie and therefore it is predictable, unsurprising and silly. In other words your perfect guilty pleasure.* * out of 4-(Fair)

This movie is one of those movies you try to watch when nothing else is on, and you have absolutely nothing else to do.I tried, and I failed. I tried again, and I failed again.I'm not much of a Treat Williams fan, but he occasionally, if only by accident, turns up in some pretty decent B movies. This isn't one of them.The high point of the movie is a ridiculous scene with a group of cadets in a circle clanging hatchets (yes, you read that right) and yelling "Kill! Burn! Bomb! Wolverine Power!!" or some such nonsense. I actually laughed out loud. Hysterically - I couldn't stop. I ended up with the hiccups.This movie only rates a 99 cents rental. Anything more would be overpriced.

Guess again. "The Substitute IV" is an even more sophomoric knock-off of it's predecessors. While most sequels try to capitalize on whatever the original had going for it, "Sub IV" doesn't seem to care that it ever had anything going for it as it departs from the "Kick-ass High School teacher takes on punks" theme and wanders mindlessly into a military academy breeding white supremacist cadettes. Everything about this film is sub-B junk from the silly plot to the poor acting to the cheesy action scenes. Williams must have really been hungry to have taken on this flop which should kill whatever market the previous sequels managed to scrounge up. This is one for the dumpster.