The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option (2001 Video) User Reviews

Substitute: No Success Here **

[edwagreen · 4/10 · 12 July 2010]

The premise of this Substitute film is most ridiculous. It seems that the commander of a southern military school speaks in a modulated voice, but is the definition of a racist. With some of the students, they plot mayhem.

As always, Treat Williams is sent in to infiltrate the bad guys and finish them off.

As the history teacher, Williams has little to offer in the classroom. This is obvious because of his real mission. There is a love interest, a lady physician, but amazingly she is not all that she supposedly is.

The ending is so cliché where the students turn against the racist.

This series has shown better writing material.

Failure is always an option to a movie critic...

[fmarkland32 · 5/10 · 24 August 2006]

Treat Willaims returns as Karl Thomasson who once again this time teaches at a military academy where white supremacists are ruling with an iron fist (Led by Patrick Kilpatrick) here Williams uses his marine issue training to take on kids who also have the necessary hand to hand goods to give him a run for the money. Also there is Bill Nunn and Angie Everhart who provide our hero with the goods necessary (That is sex in Everhart's case) to squash their movement right here, right now. I just noticed that this entry was directed by the guy who gave us Best Of The Best and it's even dumber sequel. I was going to compare this to Best Of The Best 3 which is among the most offensive movies ever made but in doing so the fact remains that Radler isn't guilty of making such lousiness. The Substitute 4 is actually not too bad in it's B.movie type of way, the movie has tons of violence and Treat Williams holds his own surprisingly well and the racism angle never feels offensive since we aren't treated to a pretentious attitude regarding it. Therefore the movie is watchable and works in satisfying the type of person who rents movies that bypass theaters. In this regard the movie works and it has some quite exciting action in the process. The only problem is that, well it also inherits the problems of being a B.movie and therefore it is predictable, unsurprising and silly. In other words your perfect guilty pleasure.

* * out of 4-(Fair)

Slow-going

[xredgarnetx · 5/10 · 5 March 2008]

Karl Thomasson is back, this time posing as a history teacher at a military academy that is being taken over by a secret white supremacy group. This unnecessary, and mercifully final, entry in THE SUBSTITUTE series sees Treat Williams in his third time around as the ass-kicking righter of wrongs, and he's terrific as always. But the film is more talk than action, and nothing much happens until the end, when Williams faces off against a sinister Asian henchman. They have a heckuva close-in fight, the likes of which I haven't seen since a similar fight in MARKED FOR DEATH. Bill Nunn is on hand as another undercover agent who teams up with Williams for the final showdown. Angie Everhart is William's love interest. She makes great eye candy but as usual cannot act worth a damn.

For Die-Hard Treat Fans Only

[tarbosh22000 · 3/10 · 12 May 2010]

This is the weakest entry in the "Substitute" series. The third one is best.

Karl Thomasson (The Treatster) has to infiltrate (Again!... Stop!) a white supremacy gang run by Brack (Patrick Kilpatrick-Great name!) in a military base.

"White Power" is of course uttered. Can Karl save the base from total Aryan destruction? This movie is an excellent definition of "Going off the rails". Treat is good as usual, but he can't save the film. Angie Everhart's breasts can't save it. (Okay, almost)... but it's just awful. The action scenes feel rushed and no one's heart was in it.

Bill Nunn makes an appearance as local weirdo Luther. He does nothing except beg for our pity. He said yes, probably as a favor to Williams.

Treat has seen better days. Watch "Prince Of The City" and Treat should track down his agent...again.

For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

Think "The Substitute" couldn't get any worse??

[=G= · 3/10 · 17 November 2000]

Guess again. "The Substitute IV" is an even more sophomoric knock-off of it's predecessors. While most sequels try to capitalize on whatever the original had going for it, "Sub IV" doesn't seem to care that it ever had anything going for it as it departs from the "Kick-ass High School teacher takes on punks" theme and wanders mindlessly into a military academy breeding white supremacist cadettes. Everything about this film is sub-B junk from the silly plot to the poor acting to the cheesy action scenes. Williams must have really been hungry to have taken on this flop which should kill whatever market the previous sequels managed to scrounge up. This is one for the dumpster.

The worst of the Substitute movies, that says it all!

[jadewood · 3/10 · 22 December 2000]

The plot is so bad it makes some of the other Substitute movies seem like award winners. The specially trained school kids are to laugh at, but this is not a comedy. Only watch this if you want some award for watching Substitutes I II III and IV. My advice is not to do them in one setting, unless you are comatose already.

Just plain bad

[atrus44 · 2/10 · 4 November 2000]

Whenever I see the number "4" in games or movies I can generally tell it will be a stupid movie/game. (Exceptions to the Mechwarrior series, which can only improve). This move is no exception. S4:FINAO is just the same typical action movie with a floppy story line and more fighting then character depth. I did enjoy "The Substitute" and even "The Substitute 2", but this is just too much, as was "The Substitute 3". If you like cheesy sequels, then see this. If not, stay away from this movie.

Dis-MISS!

[rmax304823 · 3/10 · 8 April 2018]

Well, it had potential -- thrown away in the first few minutes when the potential mystery is disposed of and the chop-socky action start.

The evil guys sneer and are pure evil. The good guys are jovial and good.

The plot has something to do with Williams sent to a military aademy to smoke out a subset of fascsts. It takes five minutes. The rest is shoot-em-ups and whirling bodies.

From hunger.

A good action /adventure film.

[milau-4 · 7/10 · 7 November 2000]

The Substitute 4 is a decent addition to this series of fims. The action is realistic and story is plausible. My only problem with the movie is that the whole white supremist story line that we have seen in a lot of these films lately is really getting stale. Cant anyone in Hollywood come up with an original idea for these movies?

A Totally Absurd Story

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 15 March 2005]

The military officer and former mercenary Karl Thomasson (Treat Williams) is sent in an undercover mission to a military academy by his superior and friend, Gal. Bud Teague, to investigate the performance and methods of the commandant of the base, Col. Brack (Patrick Kilpatrick). Karl is introduced as if he were a history teacher, and sooner he finds that the school has a neo-Nazi group called Werewolves under the direct command of Col. Brack. "The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option" is a totally absurd story. I have been a great fan of Treat Williams since "Hair", I try to see all his movies, but this one has some of the most unreasonable situations I have ever seen. The ridiculous beginning of the story in South America is completely out of the context. The beauty and the breasts of the always-gorgeous Angie Everhart is the best this movie can offer, but is not enough to support this forgettable flick. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "O Substituto 4" ("The Substitute 4")

This Movie was Awesome

[weathjm · 8/10 · 12 January 2001]

In response to the alternate review for this movie on this site i must say that S4:FINAO thoroughly stimulated my thought process and emotinoal structure through it's eloquent portrayal of white supremacist doctrine in the south. Patrick Kilpatrick gave a remarkably frightening portrayal of a "psycho". Though lacking a plot, good storyline, adequate character development, quality dialogue, good editing, better special effects, S4:FINAO was pure enjoyment. I can't wait until it comes out on DVD so I can enjoy myself (I mean the movie) in it's entirety. Congrats to the cast.

Average fare

[caa821 · 6/10 · 18 December 2007]

With the exception of "The Godfather," "Rocky," and "The Jolson Story," I can't think of any movies in the history of the art of film which have been worth watching with a "II" or a "2" after the title - much less the successors with even higher digits. (I'm aware "Jolson" didn't employ a number - but this principal applies to sequels without them as well.) "Godfather III," Rocky's IV and V," the "Batman" successors, sequels to earlier successes such as "Romancing the Stone" -- none lived-up to their originals, and most were basically awful,

The "Subsistute" series of dramas has gone farther than it probably should have, especially reaching the "4" level, but at least the settings and scenarios have had some variance.

Treat Williams is a good actor - he's portrayed both decent guys and horses' asses capably. But these flicks, when all is said and done, present the types of proceedings which Steven Seagel would deliver but for two things Williams has and he doesn't: classic good-looks, and acting ability.

Of all the scenes, the most amusing and redeeming was where the military institution is having a formal ball, with one of the duded-up officers and his lady waltzing like competitors at a dance contest in Vienna -- while the sociopathic Colonel heading the facility, and his hand-picked group of cadets in his nefarious racist cadre, slink out to engage in some KKK-type hi-jinks.

Just about every line of prejudiced dialog involving the evil Colonel (whose sole agenda seems to be what David Duke's would be in this position) while delivered in the most sinister and vile manner, seems more like something Belushi and his group on SNL, or the folks on MAD TV, might have dreamed-up and performed with their tongues virtually protruding from their cheeks.

Still, a "campy" piece of entertainment, purely average, on an afternoon if you have nothing pressing for a couple of hours. 5* on this basis, 1 additional for Williams' presence.

Ridiculous plot and very mixed-up editing...

[dwpollar · 3/10 · 20 May 2001]

1st watched 5/20/2001 - 3 out of 10(Dir-Robert Radler): Ridiculous plot and very mixed-up editing make this movie unable to believe. It is about a special elite group called the "wolverines" within an army training camp that are basically racist biggots and trained to be this way with only one purpose, to blot out anyone who is not like themselves. Treat Williams tries to make the best of his role as an ex-mercenary who becomes a substitute teacher undercover at this boot camp to investigation the reports. Like it or not with this movie he has entered the B-movie scene(hopefully he will get better roles than this in his future). An attempt is made for his character to start a relationship between him and a woman officer, but we find out that she's being everybody's girl(even the evil leader of this so-called training camp). The biggest editing mistake is made after Williams's character is attempted to be killed after an intense battle with members of the "wolverines" and the very next scene he's acting like nothing happened as he tries to get a date with the previous mentioned woman. I could go on, but I won't. I only want to plea to movie-maker's to stop making sequels to make money and instead think up new ideas, ok.

A fourth sequel is NEVER a good idea...

[zeena30 · 4 January 2001]

This movie is one of those movies you try to watch when nothing else is on, and you have absolutely nothing else to do.

I tried, and I failed. I tried again, and I failed again.

I'm not much of a Treat Williams fan, but he occasionally, if only by accident, turns up in some pretty decent B movies. This isn't one of them.

The high point of the movie is a ridiculous scene with a group of cadets in a circle clanging hatchets (yes, you read that right) and yelling "Kill! Burn! Bomb! Wolverine Power!!" or some such nonsense. I actually laughed out loud. Hysterically - I couldn't stop. I ended up with the hiccups.

This movie only rates a 99 cents rental. Anything more would be overpriced.

Dishonorable Discharge

[refinedsugar · 4/10 · 25 August 2023]

'The Substitute 4: Failure Is Not An Option' gets points for featuring a cast of known b-movie faces. However it has the weakest story by far. There's no deep levels here. No real surprises. The bad guys are face up and obvious. Leaving you to soak in the action as the plot tries it's best to rot your brain.

Karl Thomasson (Treat Williams) is back once again taking on the task of teaching at a Military School at the behest of an old war buddy and General. A teacher has gone missing, the General is worried about his nephew and the involvement of the base comandante Colonel Brack (Patrick Kilpatrick). The nephew is part of a select group of elite cadets called "The Werewolf Company" and well, you see where this is going.

It's neo Nazi junk. White power, racism, etc. The Colonel is so obviously nuts that you know any sense of reality has gone out the window. If you can get past that, Treat is still decent. Fisticuffs, lectures, gunplay, investigating, etc. There is a particular stunt piece that I applaud him for not using a stunt double. It really looked cool to see him do it.

Kilpatrick is no stranger to bad guy roles and almost always fun to watch. He spouts the junk dialog given to him with ease. Tim Abell is SFC Devlin. A knife instructor on base who is a former comrade of Thomasson who helps out. Treat Williams shares the screen with Bill Nunn again who plays the ex-military knowledgeable janitor. That leaves pretty lady Angie Everhart to supply some nudity and the required love interest in 1LT Dr. Chamberlain.

I don't know if the series had run it's course or if 'Failure Is Not An Option' killed it, but this was the end. A braindead story, sad collection of villains and the horrible ending that doesn't even satisfy. The cast earn it some points and I appreciated more gratuitous female nudity, but this was a pretty sore sequel.

Schools Out Forever

[AncientArtifact · 3/10 · 8 June 2019]

The Final Substitute Movie was probably the worst of the series, the plot is way to slow, the characters are boring apart from Treat, the villain is okay too but apart from that the rest are forgettable. The best part of the film has to be the fighting, unlike the previous two films the hand to hand combat in this film was fantastic, when Karl goes up against the Korean is a great example. This film was probably going to be bad either way as after 3 films what more can you do with it. This film I would pass on, unless you really like Treat Williams.

An OK sequel! Rent it first!

[Doc_Who · 1/10 · 4 November 2001]

In the fourth "The Substitute" movie we find Treat Williams going undercover at miltary school for a old friend worried about his son. The story was OK, the action scene totally cheesy and the dialogue pathetic. This movie also stars Angie Everhart as love interest for Treat Williams. Too bad she could'nt say this movie for her few scenes.Also there are really bad signs saying stuff like "Another minority owned installation" and others. Like they would do that in reality? The movie is rated R for swearing, violence and some partial nudity.

I hope if they make a fifth movie, it is better than this installment of the series. I often wonder who plays role of the Substitute better: Treat Williams or Tom Berenger? I wish Berenger keep the role as he was real at least.

If you really want to see this movie , rent it first before you buy it!

i didn't like it as much as the last 2,but thought it was still better than the 1st on

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 15 March 2007]

this movie is bit different than the previous installments.this time Mercenary Carl Thomasson(Treat Williams) poses as a teacher in an elite military school.the reason,a friend Who also happens to be a general at the school,has asked Karl to help him eradicate the white supremacist element which has infiltrated the school.i didn't like this movie as much as i liked the previous 2 in the series.i did however,think it was better than the 1st one.there is lots of action in this 1,just like the last 2,so that can't be the problem.i think there may be 3 reasons why i didn't like this movie.the 1st reason is the setting.although the general plot of the movie differs very little from 2 and 3,i think i just prefer these movie take place in a high school or university setting,not a military academy.i also didn't find the white supremacist angle very interesting.i think the filmmakers tried to add another dimension with that angle,but i think it was a bit too much for this kind of film,a bit too complex an issue.i prefer the simplicity of the 1st 2.the other reason may be the fact that i am getting tired of the series and losing interest.whatever the reasons,this 1 is not quite up to par with the 1st two.i'd have to give "The Substitute 4" 6.5/10

Angie Everhart topless

[zaur-2 · 10 May 2002]

Angie Everhart's topless scenes are the only thing good about this turkey. They'll leave you longing for more. She's such a beautiful woman in this picture. She plays a female officer who's ready to get down and she does.

NO Substitute for Substitue IV

[mtierney · 25 January 2001]

Treat Williams is at his best in this, the fourth installment of the famous Substitute series. The plot twists are delectable, and the fight scenes are horrifyingly realistic yet perfectly intriguing. Fans of cerebral cinema will appreciate the undertones of racial tension and personal identity struggles, while the action buffs will enjoy the numerous explosions and gunfire. Yes, there is a little something for everyone in The Substitute IV- we can only hope and pray that Treat will sign on for the fifth and final installment of the series- Substitute V.

They made a forth one???

[~PL~ · 1 May 2001]

Okay, when I saw it in the video, I just couldn't believe it...after a first boring film, they made a second one, and after the very bad second one, they made an awful third one, and after the third one, here goes the forth one...Well, let's just say it is worse than the first and second ones, but better than the third. But it still sucks a lot. Some gratuitous nudity scenes, some cheap action sequences, and when I say SOME, it doesn't mean a lot...nothing happens during the whole movie, until the very predictable ending...One important point is the one liners...they are so awful it's terrible...the problem is that it is SOOOO evident that it's a mechanical and not natural sentence that comes out of Treat Williams' mouth...the acting isn't so bad, especially in William's case, but the way he says his one liners makes it a bad performance, and another factor to approve this fact is the stupid and pointless character that they offered him...and why is this called The Substitute??? The guy's just a mercenary, and he's in a military school, he's more a soldier than a teacher, he always beats up one student...with teachers like that, don't ask yourself why there are so many high school drop-outs...I mean, in the first and second films, the agent was a substitute, but in this one he isn't...There's an error in the script because they kill young boys in Panama, and one of them has the Werewolves' sign in his face (The Werewolves are a clan of nazi students at the Military College, and they are only 5 or 6 of them, so none of these folks could be in Panama...). This film has a very conventional script, with even less flavor, some below average acting, and boring directing. I guess we should wait for the fifth one, then the sixth one, and then the "Substitute Gift Box"...bad film. 4/10

bad sequel

[the_last_shadow_2000 · 7 July 2002]

I dont get it. We have a very good movie, with a good sequel, a fair second sequel but Substitute 4: Failure Is Not An Option is just plain stupid. The only thing good in this movie is Treat Williams because he is an awesome actor and knows his role very well. Basically this storyline is just like any other action movie, white suprimicists taking over a military base or whatever and the hero comes in to whipe the whole mess free. Like I said, Treat Williams is the only thing in this movie that actually makes this movie worth watching. Well I guess I give this movie some credit since how the acting isn't so bad... five out of ten stars.

***1/2 out of 5

[casey_choas66 · 16 August 2002]

Why Treat Williams keeps coming back to this series is beyond me, even better why I keep returning to this series is beyond me, but actually this one is pretty good. Again it has nothing to do with the past 3 (ironic isn't it?). Any logic that exsisted in the series has been totally thrown out thw window this time around as Williams is hired by a friend to take a teaching job to check up on his nephew. What he uncovers is a training camp thats is making terrorists out of a group of neo-nazis. Not as good as the second Sub. but far surpasses 1 and 3 due to its heathly does of action.

Stooopiddd!

[teknocyde · 31 January 2003]

I saw this late last night, not knowing what it was, since I couldn't sleep. Once the film was over, I went to sleep alright.

Anyway, Treat Williams is a merc who goes undercover for some buddy of his to get his son out of a military academy, headed by some "Neo-Nazi" nutcase. Once he gets there, he meets up with another old buddy of his, conviently, who gives him the scoop of what's going on. There he learns that his target has joined an 'elite group' unoriginally dubbed as the "werewolves".

Anyways, the scripting is absolutely the world's worst story - from an anti-racist viewpoint or otherwise - done on neo-nazism, even worse than than American History X. The acting sucks! Whoever played the villian obviously can't act to save his life, though I guess he wasn't handed much of a character in the first place. The direction and/or production sucks because realistically if that kind of a nutcase were in charge of an MA, then he wouldn't have the cast he did.