Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Substitute

Play trailer Poster for The Substitute R 1996 1h 54m Action Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
44% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Inner-city Miami schoolteacher Jane Hetzko gets her knee broken when she stands up to the school's gang leader, Juan Lacas. Her boyfriend, mercenary combat specialist Jonathan Shale, goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk, but soon discovers that Lacas is merely an underling for the real criminal mastermind. Assembling the team from his last jungle raid, led by his right-hand man, Joey Six, Shale declares war.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Substitute

Critics Reviews

View More
Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times Feb 13, 2001
There's a sense of shrewd observation throughout The Substitute that makes it come alive and seem quite a few cuts above such usual genre fare. Go to Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times Jan 1, 2000
2/5
The entire setup is too garish to be credible. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Jan 1, 2000
1/4
The title changes, the actors change, and the superficial details of the story change, but it is always about exactly the same thing: heavily armed men shooting at one another. Go to Full Review Douglas Davidson Elements of Madness Jul 31, 2026
… makes for a fascinating setting via today’s lens wherein it seems like duty is absent, greed is everywhere, and no one is coming to save anyone. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Jan 31, 2021
2.5/4
...an appealingly larger-than-life premise that's employed to watchable yet consistently (and disappointingly) hit-and-miss effect... Go to Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn Jan 14, 2021
1/5
This movie was a mess. Tom Berenger was atrocious. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Tim R @TinyCritic Sep 2, 2026 The Substitute with Tom Berenger is a classic ’90s action movie set in an inner-city school. It keeps you hooked with plenty of action and suspense, and you can’t help but cheer for the lead as he takes on the bad guys. It’s just a fun, entertaining movie that keeps your attention from beginning to end. See more Justincredable 0 @RT30202465 Jul 6, 2026 It was fun for uts time. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Dec 7, 2025 Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Jimmie W. @jimbobwillie Sep 22, 2025 This probably broke some records for F-word use in 1996. See more alan g @agenser Aug 12, 2025 The predator in Miami. See more Phillip H @RT58181597 Aug 1, 2025 It’s a fun 90s action film See more Read all reviews
The Substitute

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Robert Mandel

Director

Tom Berenger

Jonathan Shale

Ernie Hudson

Principal Claude Rolle

Diane Venora

Jane Hetzko

Marc Anthony

Juan Lacas

Glenn Plummer

Mr. Darrell Sherman

Movie Clips

View All

The Substitute

The Substitute: Official Clip - I Can't Get Higher The Substitute: Official Clip - I Can't Get Higher 2:31 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - Smile, You're on Candid Camera The Substitute: Official Clip - Smile, You're on Candid Camera 2:18 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - No Talking in the Library The Substitute: Official Clip - No Talking in the Library 2:22 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - Power Perceived is Power Achieved The Substitute: Official Clip - Power Perceived is Power Achieved 2:01 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - I'm the Substitute The Substitute: Official Clip - I'm the Substitute 3:06 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - Fiber & Flushing The Substitute: Official Clip - Fiber & Flushing 3:12 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - The Warrior Chief The Substitute: Official Clip - The Warrior Chief 2:26 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - Jai alai The Substitute: Official Clip - Jai alai 2:27 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - Too Small Balls The Substitute: Official Clip - Too Small Balls 2:08 Now Playing The Substitute: Official Clip - Some Things Can't be Taught The Substitute: Official Clip - Some Things Can't be Taught 1:36 Now Playing View more videos

More Like This

View All
Sniper 38% 55% Sniper Watchlist Original Gangstas 53% 45% Original Gangstas Watchlist Bulletproof 8% 44% Bulletproof Watchlist Metro 17% 27% Metro Watchlist The Substitute 2: School's Out 0% 28% The Substitute 2: School's Out Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The Substitute

The Substitute (1996) The Substitute (1996) The Substitute (1996) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Inner-city Miami schoolteacher Jane Hetzko gets her knee broken when she stands up to the school's gang leader, Juan Lacas. Her boyfriend, mercenary combat specialist Jonathan Shale, goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk, but soon discovers that Lacas is merely an underling for the real criminal mastermind. Assembling the team from his last jungle raid, led by his right-hand man, Joey Six, Shale declares war.
Director
Robert Mandel
Producer
Morrie Eisenman, Jim Steele
Screenwriter
Roy Frumkes, Rocco Simonelli, Alan Ormsby
Production Co
Live Entertainment, Lionsgate, Mediaworks
Rating
R
Genre
Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 1, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.8M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Surround
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings