Detention (2002)

Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/06/2007 Run time: 84 minutes Rating: R Product Description

STAYING AFTER CLASS CAN BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH

Okay, I tend to like Dolph Lundgren movies. But that's because I pretty much know what it going to happen in each one. Too bad he comes off as a poor man's Steven Segal. Which says a lot since Segal seems to be heading in a downward spiral.

Lundgren stars as a high school teacher and ex Special Forces expert. About to leave his job, his boss assigns him one last job, taking care of detention. As if having to harness and take care of these malcontents from class, a group of supposed terrorists are in the process of taking over the school once all of the students, save for these, have left.

It turns out that these are not terrorists but a group of heavily armed thieves planning the heist of an armored car. Along with their machine guns they bring along a ton of explosives.

But there's more. It seems that this group of psychotic criminals is not alone. They have ties into the government. But Dolph isn't going to play that game. Instead, he does what he can to protect the students and once he thinks that's done, heads out to deal with these crooks one to one.

These sorts of movies feel more cookie cutter style the more they come out on video. Are they entertaining? In some ways. Are they original? Not nearly as much as they should be. But they do provide a momentary does of escape from the real world.

If you've seen one Dolph Lundgren movie then you know what to expect. Plenty of gunfire, fist fights and explosions. If that isn't your cup of tea then pass it by. But if the shelves seem a little empty at the video store and this is there, you might want to give it a try.


March 13, 2008

Dolph Lungren delivers another great movie!

Dolph Lungren plays teacher Sam Decker in this action flick. He is about to quit his job but has one last detention class to watch. The rebellious students curse and sneak out of detention when some rather dangerous criminals take control of Hamilton High. Sam Decker (Lungren) and the students must team together against the criminals who appear to want to intercept a shipment of drugs that has been seized by the police. To make matters worse, there is a crooked cop who is helping the criminals not only obtain those drugs, but to kill anyone that may stand in their way!
Of course, there is some overacting with some of the criminals.
However, Lungren delivers another talented and highly entertaining performance in this action thriller. I rate this movie with 5 stars.
This is a must see for Dolph Lungren fans!! December 3, 2007

Please Report to "Detention"

Dolph Lundgren has finally done it! He finally decided to school his enemies at, well, a school! Yes! A genius indeed, Dolphage played an ex-soldier named Sam Decker who taught at a less-than-continuation school where cussing is the only language the kids know and girls are pregnant everywhere. "Detention" is so bad, it's good! Stereotypes have never been used this much, but the director achieved major insult to teens. Decker wanted to quit since he finally realized that High School High was below him and that the kids stunk, but the principal demanded that he stay and watch one, final detention class. Pity. A group of maniacs who dressed like Billy Idol took over the school and 'locked down' the school property. Of course, the movie went into "Under Siege" mode and Decker became a one-man army. The children band together and unite! A girl goes into labor, a wheelchair bound teen goes into a flurry and manages to outrun a motorcycle, another boy lives his self-fulfilling prophecy of actually getting courage to fight back and the whole gang construct this metallic/spike/shield thingy and fight bad guys in the gym! What an extremely entertaining movie and Dolph Lordgren delivers high-caliber action once again. What a deity he is! Yes! Two hots, thumbs up, and ten toes up, all the way! April 22, 2004

Under Siege at High School: Typical B Action Film

When did I see Dolph Lundgren at theater last time? While watching "Detention," I was only thinking about that. At least I can say that "Dentention" is better than awful "Agent Red" "Hidden Agenda" or "Jill the Ripper." But sorry, that does not mean that his new film is good.

"Detention" is a typical kind of action film shot in Canada (by NU IMAGE), in which Dolph Lundgren stars as a history teacher Mr. Dekker, who is formerly a soldier fighting in Bosnia. Back in America, he is considering retiring, fed up with teaching the students who do not listen. So, today is the last day, and Dekker is in charge of the detention class when four terrorists led by Alex Karzis sneak into the school.

Yes, armed guys in school, but for what? And the students with Dekker are trapped in the building (typical "Die Hard" situation"), and they have to fight against the baddies, but isn't that a school? Can you just break the door or something? If you thought the premise of "Toy Soldiers" is preposterous, "Detention" proves you are absolutely wrong.

Sidney J. Furie ("Iron Eagle") is a veteran director who can proceed the whole thing at good speed, and I can say "Detention" is not boring. But the lack of logic is painfully felt when you see the unbelievable reason for the terrorists' attack especially when some scenes momentarily remind us of the sad memory of the real-life shooting case in USA. The actions themselves are not exciting at all, the best point being a motorcycle chasing a student in a wheelchair.

The characters are stereotyped ones though Dolph Lundgren's change of pace (shown playing a high school teacher) is not a bad idea. Actually, his acting here is decent, if far from his best. Still, when we see a pregnant girl (put on detention), and her getting into labor in the auditorium, we can no longer find credibility in the film. April 1, 2004

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