Detention (2004)

As Good As It Gets

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This movie is not worth of writing a review about. This is just to warn you before you somehow sit to watch it.I can understand some poor chaps put some money together to burn for making a rubbish movie. Everybody is entitled to do that. What I don't understand is what the hell Dolph Lundgren is doing in such a low quality movie? There seems to be no director assigned to this movie. My guess is the cameraman both shoot and directed the film. There is no script so they made the movie just improvising on the set.Forget about the stupid plot, worst unknown actors, non existent directing. One thing annoyed me in this movie a lot: There are four bad guys with semi automatic weapons and unlimited ammunition. Yet they are unable to shoot anybody from 20 feet distance. What the hell? If you see this movies cover or DVD just call 911 for emergency.

This was probably one of the DUMBEST action movies I've seen in years! The only really decent part was the opening sequence prior to the title credits.Examples of just how dumb this flick was include when our (combat vet)hero discovers the dead body of an ARMED security guard after already having been shot at by bad-guys, the hero chooses to ignore the guard's gun and then run and hide instead of arming himself with a gun.Then, after getting a minor gunshot wound, our hero decides to use welding equipment to heat up a pipe in the school's workshop to cauterize the wound....like there there are no first aid kits in a shop area, not to mention the wound appeared to be EXTREMELY minor.Then when the local cops are being "hijacked" by the secret service for executive protection, not only do they balk, they actually argue with the secret service agent about his authority to "hijack" them...The other REALLY good part of the movie was....the final credits....

Detention is like a cross between "The Breakfast Club" and "Die Hard", only without the character development of the former or the special effects budget of the latter. The result is surprisingly entertaining and often wonderfully tasteless. In short, Detention is one of the better lightweight action movies to hit video shelves in some time.Dolph Lundgren has spent the past few years mainly appearing in relatively gritty low budget action films like his directorial debut "The Defender" and its follow up, "The Mechanik". While I enjoyed both of those films, it comes as a nice surprise to see Dolph appear in something as stupidly entertaining as Detention. Make no mistake about it - this film is dumb in a very big way. You could get a bad case of RSI from writing down all the goofs and plot holes. However, what it lacks in credibility, the film more than makes up for in enthusiasm and an almost 1980s approach to action. There are very few dull computer effects here, just a lot of old fashion shootings and a couple of decent explosions.The story involves Dolph's character, Sam, struggling with his disillusionment as a teacher at an inner city high school. Sam decides to resign but is asked to supervise detention on his last day. Unfortunately for Sam, he finds himself locked in the school building with a bunch of his delinquent students and an incredibly camp and violent crime boss called Chester. Conveniently, Sam is an ex-soldier and he calls on his military training to fight the intruders. The story is as clichéd and derivative as it sounds. Nevertheless, it allows Dolph to flex his action hero muscles and provides plenty of opportunities for senseless violence.Detention benefits greatly from an undercurrent of black humour and a touch of irony. The characters are all pretty amusing, from the crack smoking, foul mouthed students, to Chester and his woeful to the point of being funny one-liners. The film also contains one of the funniest and most ridiculous chase scenes ever captured on film when one of the bad guys chases a wheelchair bound student (Dov Tiefenbach in another interesting role) on a motorbike. Sam's ability to turn a trolley into a metal covered battering ram, complete with metallic spikes, in a matter of minutes is similarly mind boggling.The special effects are generally pretty basic but there is enough blood and shooting to keep action fans happy. Sidney J. Furie's direction is lively and he keeps the pace mercifully brisk. Sidney has been making genre films since the 1960s and he's still churning out good work. Detention is not a great film and it never pretends to be one. It is, however, 90 minutes of hugely enjoyable, dumb fun. If nothing else, watch it for the wheelchair chase sequence.

When that dude rode the Motorcycle after the kid in the wheelchair in the hallway, I almost cried I laughed so hard.This is one of those movies that made me sad to be Canadian for a minute there(until I remembered that if I were American I'd have to put up with Moore).Is the white kid in this movie the same guy who was on that Lassie show back about 5 years ago? Wow, this is getting sadder and sadder.Bow and arrows vs guns...Oh wait, let's make this deep by having war flashbacks.I advise everybody against watching this movie. At least their school float had spikes and fireballs.