As one viewer had already pointed out in their comments, there were a large number of the almost laughable teenage street gang-centered action and dramas, especially of the early and mid 1980s, probably following the successes of cult films like 'The Warriors.' They were low budget, b- and c-grade films that usually centered on some gang in a west coast town (and especially, a dilapidated school) in which school officials are inexplicably helpless to the violence and destruction and some brave student must often take charge to alleviate. There have been so many of these that they are a genre in and of themselves and quite often, they have not only been cheaply made or poorly produced (the gangs usually don't seem dangerous, but more like obnoxious fashion victims) and the stories just blend together as unmemorable narratives that continue to tell the same story. 'Class of 1984', 'Tuff Turff,' 'Savage Streets', 'Knights of the City', and even '3:15' are the more laughable ones. 'The New Kids' (mostly because of its familiar cast) and 'Children of the Night' are the better productions. And Troma's 'Class of Nuke 'Em High' series and the low-visibility Spielberg-produced project, 'Three O'Clock High' are the amusing parodies of an out-of-whack perception of urban teenagers gone wild.

With little feeling and little suspense, '3:15' offers the cookie cutter story of a young high school student (Adam Baldwin) who, although credited as a dangerous gang leader, suddenly drops the gang when one his fellow Cobras kills a young guy during a parking lot rumble. His sudden decision to ditch the gang not only contradicts his reputation, but is left unexplained and more so unconvincing. The guy seeking to be the new leader to fill this power vacuum vows revenge on the traitor. When the dumb principal orders a police raid to rid the school of the gang members and their bad behavior, the rival Cobra runs into our fearless leader, hoping he can help him hide some drugs (in the presence of cops of course...oh, this is one unshakable alibi) and when the guy refuses and the new Cobra leader is sent to jail, he promises to punish the dude severely. With the help of his minions, he plots to terrorize pretty much our hero, his friends, and his wimpy girlfriend. But, of course he won't go down without a fight, despite all the odds against him and the psychotic tendencies of his rivals. Of course, the tale ends just as swift and numbly as the rest of the film, making it one who's accolades by other IMDb reviews has puzzled me. Why, of so many in this genre, is this one to be remembered so fondly? I would guess the familiarity of its cast (especially Scott McGinnis and Deborah Foreman who are b-movie 80s regulars by this point).

A more suitable substitute for this film? 'Three O'Clock High.' I mean, if something as bad as '3:15' is going to make you laugh (unintentionally) anyways, then why not just go for straight up comedy with a better knack for storytelling?

People complain about the lack of politeness and respect of today's youth, but then what to say about those darned 80's kids? If you believe those early 80's exploitation movies, all American high schools were breeding grounds for bloody gang wars, drug-dealing, senseless violence, sleaze and mindless vandalism. Of course, they made cheap and grisly exploitation movies about pretty much everything during the early 80's, so I'm not quite sure if they qualify as socially relevant and accurate. These films are, however, guaranteed adrenalin-rushing entertainment! There are the modest cult classics like "Class of 1984" and "Savage Streets", but there definitely also are a couple of well-hidden gems like for example "The New Kids", "Massacre at Central High" and this "3:15". These movies can all be described as much cooler and darker variations on dull stuff like "Stand and Deliver" or "Dangerous Minds". So what if these kids have great intellectual potential? They're scum and only good to destroy each other, yeah!

"3:15" – that title alone I find tremendous – has a pretty solid plot and a downright fantastic opening half hour. The police (led by the marvelously skeptical Lt. Moran) and Principal Horner of the Lincoln High School team up for a large-scaled anti-drug operation, with as a main intention to arrest the members of the feared Cobra gang. The success of the bust is minimal, but the aggressive Cobra leader Cinco wants revenge nevertheless and picks out Jeff Hannah as a scapegoat. Jeff is a former Cobra member who turned his back on drugs and violence, but now Cinco spreads the word throughout the entire school that he turned into a police informant and that he has to pay for that. The ultimate confrontation between Jeff and the Cobras will take place at – you guessed it – 3:15.

The film can rely on good casting choices and an effectively sinister ambiance. The Cobra gang members are convincingly menacing and creepy. They're scum who harass everybody in school and beat up the weaklings. The school surrounding itself is a nicely grim and uncanny location as well. The walls are full of graffiti (a LOT of graffiti), the teachers are corrupt and there are rotten apples left, right and center. The set- up is truly atmospheric and plausible, but "3:15" inevitably also suffers from quite a bit of shortcomings. There are a couple of typically 80's and clichéd redundant interludes, like the romance elaboration and the song with the deeper meaning lyrics illustrating the tension between 3pm and 3:15pm. Some things in the screenplay also don't make 100% sense. For example, you would think that Jeff receives a little help from all his friends and school admirers, like the Afro- American guys in their GI Joe outfits, the Oriental dudes with their martial arts tricks, but in the end nobody moves a muscle. So, yes, admittedly the finale is a bit disappointing in case you are expecting a gigantic high school massacre as well. In spite of not really being known, "3:15" has quite a bit of good and familiar faces in the cast. Adam Baldwin is quite impressive in the lead role, but especially the smaller supportive roles are worth mentioning here in this case. Ed Lauter is terrific as the cynical police captain and Rene Auberjonois is even better as the sleazy school principal. Cult fanatics with a sharp eye will definitely recognize the ravishing Gina Gershon in one of her very first roles (as one of the docile Cobra members' girlfriends) and maybe even notice the small cameo appearance of Wings Hauser as the father of Jeff's goody-two-shoes girlfriend Sherry.

Violence. Drugs. Crumbling turf. Vicious gangs; Charles Bronson ala in Paul Kersey mode would have a field day, but hey this isn't a "Death Wish" film. "3:15" easily ranks up there with the likes of "Class of 1984", "Savage Streets" and "The New Kids" of this 80s wave of violent school gang outings with no-bars hold revenge at its core. Bestowing an outstanding cast; Adam Baldwin (in a perfectly pitched performance) leads the way as Jeff Hanna who use to be in the ruthless street gang "The Cobras", but then he decides to go straight after a confrontation with the leader Cinco (a venomous Danny De La Paz). A year has past, but there's still ill-feeling there. This finally erupts when Cinco blames Hanna for a drug raid at the school which was orchestrated by the principal (a scheming Rene Auberjonois) and led by detective Moran (a neatly sardonic Ed Lauter). Despite the threats Hanna is happy to look the other way, until they threaten to assault his girlfriend (the delightful Deborah Foreman). Then he knows he must take up the offer to finally settle the score.

The plot plays out like a urban western as you have one man finding himself stuck in the middle of something there's no way out of, while without choice taking on the unbelievable odds by standing up, as everyone else just watches on. Standard mechanisms, but on this occasion its very well done, right down to its classic final showdown. Strangely is had me thinking of a very similar film that came out a year later "The Principal", which in the film's climatic showdown between the principal (an excellent James Belushi) and some punks drummed up some striking similarities in how things turn out.

You might call it b-grade, trashy exploitation with a decent looking budget… and you might be right. However its context it isn't trying to simply exploit despite its harsh, brutal details (although it might lie in the shadows to the previously mentioned films' mean-spirited vibe). The pulpy story is a little more thoughtful in its actions and depictions, where the characters have more weight which makes it all the more harrowing and gripping when it unfolds. These are characters trying to prove something (as image becomes an important factor) and just what lengths would they go to do so. Like the frightening expression on Foreman's character's face when she sees Hanna aggressively implode on one of the gang members. That's not saying it doesn't go over-the-top, but these dramatics only enhance the intensity. Director Larry Gross workably keeps the adrenaline levels high, even when it's not trying to be bitingly rough and gusty. It's gritty, edgy but competently staged with a pounding soundtrack to back it up. There are some other interesting faces showing up in the likes of Mario Van Peebles, Wayne Crawford, Scott McGinnis, Gina Gershon and Wings Hauser (who gets even less screen time than the visible boom mike).