Samuel L. Jackson plays an idealistic teacher who, after being stabbed nearly to death in a Brooklyn school hallway, moves all the way across the country to take a pay cut as a substitute teacher in one of the worst school districts in Los Angeles, where he has no personal ties. His declaration that "All I ever wanted to do was teach" doesn't nearly go far enough to explain his masochism, because he's clearly not ready or happy to jump back into the fray. Jackson finds himself surrounded by ineffectual teachers, slimy administrators, and vicious gangbangers, all of whom render him increasingly embittered. He may have even been driven to murder, a possibility with which we're teased for far too long, since it suspends viewers' ability to evaluate his character and situation. The problem with 187 is that it's invested in showing us the reality of inner-city schools, but accepts as "reality" the ugliest possible aspect of the picture—then repeatedly clubs its audience over the head with it. Jackson's performance is impressive: He effectively conveys every nervous and belligerent nuance, but his character eventually disappears beneath a morass of gimmicks, clichés, and political cynicism.