The Principal

Name: The Principal
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama
Released: 1987-09-18
Duration: 1 h 49 min
Rating: 6.5
Cast: Jim Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr., Rae Dawn Chong, Kelly Jo Minter, Michael Wright

1987·Movie·R·109 min·★ 6.5(311)

Action Adventure Crime Drama More English titles

“He's teaching the students at Brandel High two words... NO MORE.”

Burglary. Drugs. Assault. Rape. The students at Brandel High are more than new Principal Rick Latimer bargained for. Gangs fight to control the school using knives - even guns - when they have to. When Latimer and the head of security try to clean up the school and stop the narcotics trade, they run up against a teenage mafia. A violent confrontation on the campus leads to a deadly showdown with the drug dealer's gang, and one last chance for Latimer to save his career... and his life.

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Click a service to open The Principal there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

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Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	The Roku Channel, Tubi TV	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
India	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Canada	—	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo
Australia	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Germany	Joyn	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, maxdome Store
France	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Spain	Tivify	Amazon Video
Brazil	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video

About The Principal

The Principal is a 1987 English-language action, adventure and crime film directed by Christopher Cain. The cast is led by Jim Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr., Rae Dawn Chong. It has a runtime of 1h 49m. Viewers rate it 6.5/10 across 300 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on The Roku Channel, Tubi TV.

The Principal was produced by ML Delphi Premier Productions, TriStar Pictures, and Dorica Film and made in United States of America. It was released on September 18, 1987, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $11 million, it went on to gross $20 million worldwide.

Director: Christopher Cain
Writers: Frank Deese
Release date: September 18, 1987
Original language: English
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Budget: $11 million
Box office: $20 million
Production: ML Delphi Premier Productions, TriStar Pictures, Dorica Film

#resistance#drug trafficking#teacher#youth gang#school life

The Principal cast & crew

The Principal was directed by Christopher Cain and written by Frank Deese.

The cast features Jim Belushi as Rick Latimer, Louis Gossett Jr. as Jake Phillips, Rae Dawn Chong as Hilary Orozco, Kelly Jo Minter as Treena Lester (as Kelly Minter), Michael Wright as Victor Duncan, and J.J. Cohen as White Zac.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Jay Gruska, cinematography is by Arthur Albert, and it was produced by Thomas H. Brodek.

Is The Principal worth watching?

The Principal holds an audience score of 6.5/10 from 311 ratings, a solidly received action films.

At 1h 49m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy action, adventure, and crime, The Principal is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch The Principal

In United States, you can stream The Principal on The Roku Channel and Tubi TV, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.