187 (1997)

I watched this movie a couple of years back, but it left a big impression, it immediately became one of my favorite movies and when it comes to mind I always feel... well, maybe there's not a word for it. I just remember the movie and reach some kind of elevated state of mind. It features Samuel Jackson, an actor I hadn't heard much about before watching this movie, and though it may not be his best acting performance it certainly is the movie of his which made the greatest emotional impact on me.

The movie is about a teacher, in the ghetto, trying to really teach kids something. He starts losing grip on reality and it all ends with (major spoiler, stop reading now if you plan to watch this) him playing Russian roulette with a student who came to his house to kill him. He takes a bullet the student was supposed to take, and the student can't let this go, so he loads the gun and gives it another go. Then he dies, too.

I get goosebumps just remembering the scene. It's heavy. It's a bit like Deer Hunter, if you've seen it, but it feels way more emotional in that there is no war zone, it's just a ghetto, it looks the same as anywhere else, but the people there all grow up differently. The atmosphere is calm yet the tension is constantly building up and eventually it reaches the boiling point. A review won't do much good, but just watch it, it's one of the most memorable movies I've ever seen.

It gets a big

 rated 5/5: friggin awesome