The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

One of the most gripping scenes in The Principal is when Jim Belushi's Principal saves a teacher from being raped by a student. Without hesitation he revs on his motorcycle up the steps and saves the day - the filming and editing of this scene was impressive, and props to the director Christopher Cain and editor Jack Hofstra.The Principal needs to be a TV series. Each week's episode could be self-contained, or there could be a season long story arch. The Principal can weed out the bad apples and ensure students really want to learn. The Principal can also be up against the bureaucracy and suits and superintendents, and fighting against The Man.

James Belushi is at his very best in the gritty urban action classic The Principal. Belushi is Rick Latimer, a hot tempered, hard drinking, skirt chasing maniac. His bar room brawl antics ended with his teaching job getting terminated and he is sent to Brandel, to become its new principal. Brandel is an alternative high school where all the bad kids who get kicked out of their prospective schools are sent and is much like a prison and is a breeding ground of drugs, gangs and violence. Leading man James Belushi delivers a tough, well rounded performance. He is funny, volatile and delivers on the dramatic end as well. Louis Gossett Jr. and Rae Dawn Chong give strong support. Michael Wright is awesome as gang leader Victor Duncan. The Principal is an 80's classic that is well performed, action packed and realistic. Well done and essential viewing in my opinion.

This is one of if not the best of James Belushi's movies. James Belushi and Louis Gossett Jr. make a great duo and JJ Cohen as White Zac is also very well casted (he is nothing like the parts he plays). The movie is your typical run down drunken teacher sent to a run down typical gang infested school to be the principal but what is not typical is how two words "No More!" Echo and it seems to drive the line between those who want to try and those who want to hurt.This movie is not a typical 80's but is a drama in away and a action flick in a way but it keeps you watching. "The Principal" may be a bit beyond what goes on in inner city or ghetto schools but most movies do that in other situations too. It showed how a principal who is a true leader can enlist others who also care to stand up to bullies and inspire his student body to work towards an education. It also portrayed others whom one might think were troublemakers because of the environment forced on them to be good kids. This is definitely one of Jim Belushi's best performances in his filmography history.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

James Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr., Rae Dawn Chong and Michael Wright star in this 1987 drama. A teacher is sent to be principal of a drug-infested high school. Rick Latimer (Belushi) is a school teacher who gets himself in trouble and is asked to be principal of drug-infested high school, Brandel. He meets hall monitor, Jake Phillips (Gossett) and learns that student, Victor Duncan (Wright) is the drug-dealing king of the school. Rick tries to clean up Brandel with his rule, "No more" and gets in over his head. Chong plays Miss Orozco, a history teacher who dislikes Rick at first, but gets close to him later after he saves her from getting raped by a student. Soon, Rick is forced to fight against Victor and make him an example of his rule. I've always liked this film and think it's one of Belushi's best. I recommend this great 80's drama.