Hostage High (1997)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I was a Junior at Lindhurst High when this tragic event took place. How dare you people imply that Mr. Brens flunked Eric on purpose and kept him from graduating. Tell it how it is? How do you know what it is? Did you personally know Eric Houston? Did you know Mr. Brens? No body deserves to be killed just cause you didn't graduate from High School. As far as I can see Eric didn't pull his weight in class and show that he was learning the material to deserve a passing grade. I know how it is to be lazy and not do the work or turn assignments in. I'm lucky I even graduated. But to say that this movie didn't tell the truth in the real life event is a load of crap. I lost really good friends due to Eric's selfishness. The movie was pretty good at depicting what happened that day but in all made from real life movies there is a caption at the beginning that states "taken from real life events but names and situations may be changed". The only problem I had with the people who put this film together was that they gave the bad guy (Rick Schroder) the name of one of Eric Houston's victims Jason (White). Talk about bad taste, how can you over look that? Rest In Peace Jason, Beamon, Judy, and Mr. Brens. You did not deserve to be taken from us so soon. Go Blazers....Class of 1993

I have seen this movie and it is about 15% true.. Why I say that is because my wife is the ex-girlfriend to Eric Houston the one portrayed in the original release. She was there and she knows the truth. If your gonna make a movie about something or someone tell the truth don't embellish it! The 15% that was true was the fact that he did murder a teach and a lot of students but that's it. The lies are how he did it and what really took place inside the school and his personal life. Also what drove him to do it was never really told. Tell the truth people stop covering up the truth!!! Stop protecting those who fail our kids in the school system!! Stop make villains into hero's and hero's into villains!! I am in no way excusing Eric's behavior that awful day but let's be honest if nothing else! My heart goes out to the families of those poor kids that were murdered that horrible day.... God be with you!!!!

Powerful film, inspired by true events, takes us through a school hostage situation step by agonizing step.Deeply troubled Jason Copeland decides to go on a rampage at his former high school out of revenge for failing to be awarded his high school diploma. His life has been a mess ever since then and he blames one teacher in particular, Mr Kroft, whose classroom he enters first.The situation escalates and Jason winds up with 60 hostages and several casualties in his wake. Rick Schroder plays the part of Jason brilliantly as we witness his transition from crazed, gun-toting lunatic to a defeated and broken man. What happens in between is fascinating.Henry Winkler turns in a great performance as a dedicated (yet inexperienced) cop who finds himself thrust into the unenviable position of negotiating with Jason. Rick Schroder (who seems to have effortlessly made the transition from cute child star to credible adult actor), Freddie Prinze Jr (in one of his earlier roles) and the lovely, luminous and under-used actress Katie Wright all give fine performances they should be proud of.

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Some parts in this movie confused me... for one it was hard to believe that someone would be so deranged that they come back to their high school and try to kill the teachers who flunked them. But then again, I guess you could do anything if you are a psycho. Then I didn't understand why Jason (Rick Shroder) shot at the students? I mean why not just kill the teachers he came for, the students weren't even there and had nothing to do with him leaving school. And I felt there wasn't enough sub plots, like we didn't really deal with anyone's backgrounds besides Jason's, which only consisted of him failing and taking care of a sick mother and holding down numerous jobs. I felt besides Shroder and Winkler, the acting was pretty flat. I mean Rick is great as a paranoid amateur criminal (I say amateur because he took most of his demands from the students and didn't know what he was doing half the time). And the Fonze suprisingly plays a good cop. I have no idea how Freddie Prinze Jr got cast and he's horrible. What's worse is that you'd think since this was only his third film, he'd get better with time, but his movies are still disappointing and the characters are still one dimensional. The two characters played by Shroder and Winkler are really the only reasons to watch. Some parts were funny to me like how he wanted 15 pizzas as opposed to a plane or a bus, that made me laugh. At the end of the film, I actually felt bad for Jason, which I think was the point. I just couldn't not like someone who was confused and scared and played by such a great actor.