L'École des héros

At the outset, what promised to be a mere Die Hard clone (the '90s were lousy with them), Toy Soldiers is a solid thriller in its own right. Marketed to the teen crowd, it has a good cast, genuine suspense and a reassuring father figure (Louis Gossett Jr., in this case) in this boy's school setting. I can honestly say I didn't know how these kids would get out of this (sadly, not all of them) and I was engaged throughout.

Much better than advertised.

This is one of the best "Bloke" movies from the early 90's and whilst slightly dated, its one of those movies that would never get made today, which makes it very special! In fact, a very similar movie was made in the 90's called "Masterminds" and it was a PG variation on the same theme, but it was nowhere near as fun or realistic for that matter.

So what's so special about this film? It's the comradre between the main characters and the against all odds theme of the film. Sean Astin is very likable and has starred in some of the most memorable films of the 80/90's, particularly "The Goonies". He also went onto greater things with "Rudy" and "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, but "Encino Man" is a good trip down memory lane. Will Wheaton from "Stand by Me" lends nice support to the film and Andrew Divoff is a terrific villain. Louis Gossett Jr sleepwalks in his role, but he does add some brevity to the film, particularly his relationship with Astin's rebellious nature.

So how's the action? By today's standards, it's rather tedious and cheap looking, almost like a TV movie, but the production values are good and the violence is actually quite nasty for a film involving school students. However, the director makes up for the limited budget with some nicely suspenseful moments and well placed humor.

So park your brain at the door and enjoy this fondly remembered action flick, but don't expect Oscar material!

Colombian terrorist Luis Cali is ruthless in trying to rescue his drug lord father Enrique Cali but he's been secretly sent to America. His group infiltrates into the US to take over The Regis School for boys run by the Headmaster (Denholm Elliott). One of the kids is the son of the judge presiding over Cali's trial but he's been taken into protective custody. However the terrorists find other sons of powerful men. One of them is mobster's son Joey Trotta (Wil Wheaton). Dean Parker (Louis Gossett Jr.) is outside with the police. Billy Tepper (Sean Astin) is the lead delinquent in a school full of delinquents.

The terrorists release all the staff except the headmaster. Also they give the kids just enough freedom. All of it is aim to jerry-rig the situation where the kids make a plan to overcome the terrorists. I don't think any terrorist would just let their hostages walk around. It's a kiddie John McClane with a lot of unlikely twists and turns. The plot is unrealistic but it's still a watchable thriller.

I remember seeing this when it first came out in theatres and wondering why it wasn't a bigger hit at the time. Writer/director Daniel Petrie Jr. and his co-writer David Koepp have done an excellent job of taking a basically far-fetched comic-book plot and then getting us to go along for the ride. The acting is generally good all-around, with special kudos going to Andrew Divoff as the smooth, suave villain. Smart, fast paced, action-packed and exciting....a perfect popcorn picture.

Colombian terrorists hold hostage a military school in the U.S. until their demands are met. The students decide to fight back. Will they be able to do it?

Silly premise but the film actually works. The group of kids who fight were all up and coming when this film came out in 1991: Sean Astin (looking very cute); Wil Wheaton (looking miserable); Keith Coogan; George Perez (the token Latino who is very handsome, very muscular and is mostly shown in nothing but tight underwear); T.E. Russell (the token black guy) and Shawn Phelan. None of them are very good actors (except Astin), but who cares? This is a mindless action film. The only other good performances are from Denholm Elliott (having a ball as the headmaster) and Louis Gossett Jr. as the dean.

Other than that--there's lots of action, suspense, explosions and little brains. In other words---FUN!

Only complaint (and this is minor)--it's a bit too long (there are THREE endings) and there is LOTS of casual, bloody violence (the R rating was well-earned). Still, I enjoyed it a lot.