| 187 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kevin Reynolds |
| Written by | Scott Yagemann |
| Produced by | Bruce Davey Stephen McEveety |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ericson Core |
| Edited by | Stephen Semel |
| Music by | David Darling Michael Stearns |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $5.7 million |
One Eight Seven (also known as 187) is a 1997 American crime drama thriller film directed by Kevin Reynolds. It was the first top-billed starring role for Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a Los Angeles teacher caught with gang trouble in an urban high school. It also has John Heard, Kelly Rowan and Clifton Collins Jr. in supporting roles. The film's name comes from the California Penal Code Section 187, which defines murder.
The original screenplay was written in 1995 by Scott Yagemann, a Los Angeles area high school substitute teacher for seven years. He wrote the screenplay after an incident when a violent transfer student had threatened to kill him and his family. Yagemann reported the threat to the authorities and the student was arrested. About a week later, he was called by the district attorney to testify against the student in a court of law, where the student was being prosecuted for stabbing a teacher's aide a year before. This annoyed Yagemann, who had not been told about it beforehand, and led to him writing the screenplay. He claimed that 90% of the film's material is based on incidents that had happened to him and other teachers in real life.[1][2]
- ^ Yagemann, Scott (1997-08-04). "90% of '187' Is Based on Schoolteachers' Reality". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
- ^ Weeks, Janet (1997-07-30). "Screenwriter: '187' Brutal - And All Too Real". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-11.