I was over at Slash Films the other day and they mentioned this film in one of their articles… I had to pull it out and watch it again!

From director Phil Joanou, a relative unknown whose last big movie was Gridiron Gang (with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), comes this classic 1987 comedy about a kid who inadvertantly touches the “new” kid in school (while standing at a urinal no less) and finds himself doing anything and everything possible to avoid the ass-kicking he’s now provoked. Three O’Clock High is one of my favorite 80s films, unfortunately its one of those flics that fell between the cracks of obscurity. A total shame because it was masterfully directed with awesome camera work by Barry Sonnenfeld. The film is also complimented by a great soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. The story is well told with a solid pace. Performances are top notch for what it is, with fantastic deliveries from the two leads. This is the kind of film making that made John Hughes famous… what happened? Even Steven Spieldberg was an executive producer, but had his name removed, leaving him uncredited. I don’t even think this got a theatrical release… Very rarely do 80s films stand the test of time… this one does. Three O’Clock High deserves it’s place on the shelf with the very best the 80s has to offer! Maybe someday we’ll actually get a Blu Ray… until then I hold onto my DVD!

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