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The Lords of Discipline

Play trailer Poster for The Lords of Discipline R 1983 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A well-regarded senior at a Southern military academy, Will McLean (David Keith) is assigned to keep an eye on the school's first African-American cadet, Tom Pearce (Mark Breland), so that no harm comes to him. Determined to protect Tom, Will discovers that there is a secret group within the academy out to recruit the new student. However, their motives aren't honorable, and they aren't concerned about taking their violent initiation too far, leading Will to step into a dangerous situation.
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The Lords of Discipline

Critics Reviews

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Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Sep 13, 2025
3/4
The film’s examination of covert fascism masked as red-blooded patriotism resonates more strongly than ever. Go to Full Review Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal Sep 2, 2025
2.5/5
While modestly engaging, "The Lords of Discipline" never ascends in rank to the upper echelon of military-academy stories due largely to some crucial miscasting and excision of key material from Pat Conroy's source novel. Go to Full Review Lori Hoffman Atlantic City Weekly Jan 5, 2007
2/5
David Cornelius DVDTalk.com Mar 20, 2006
2.5/5
To get to the fine moments, we must wade through some sloppy melodrama, clunky characterizations, and a hackneyed, clumsy final act. Go to Full Review Chuck O'Leary FulvueDrive-in.com Aug 31, 2005
B+
A riveting drama. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jul 28, 2005
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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Vincent S @RT47579145 Jun 23, 2026 This is a powerful drama with a great David Keith performance and other solid performances by future stars and great turns by Robert Prosky and G.D. Spradlin. This is not for the squeamish and today some of the racial material is hard to watch but this works very well at pushing our buttons. See more Cameron C @RT92136666 Jul 20, 2024 An underrated classic! See more Quinn R @qritz7 Nov 15, 2020 One of my all-time favorite books, but the movie doesn't seem to know which direction to go. Long buildup at the beginning, but an interesting premise. (63%) See more Oct 17, 2018 One of the best movies of all time See more Jan 3, 2013 A double time capsule - of military academy life in the early 60's and of film making in the early 80's. See more Oct 27, 2012 David Keith stands out here as he tries to protect the first African American cadet at a southern US military school in the early 1960's. Despite one cadet committing suicide, hazing remains encourged by military school officials. See more Read all reviews
The Lords of Discipline

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Cast & Crew

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Franc Roddam

Director

David Keith

Will McLean

Robert Prosky

Col. "Bear" Berrineau

G.D. Spradlin

Gen. Bentley Durrell

Barbara Babcock

Abigail St. Croix

Michael Biehn

John Alexander

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The Lords of Discipline

The Lords of Discipline (1983) The Lords of Discipline (1983) The Lords of Discipline (1983) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A well-regarded senior at a Southern military academy, Will McLean (David Keith) is assigned to keep an eye on the school's first African-American cadet, Tom Pearce (Mark Breland), so that no harm comes to him. Determined to protect Tom, Will discovers that there is a secret group within the academy out to recruit the new student. However, their motives aren't honorable, and they aren't concerned about taking their violent initiation too far, leading Will to step into a dangerous situation.
Director
Franc Roddam
Producer
Herb Jaffe, Gabriel Katzka
Screenwriter
Thomas Pope, Lloyd Fonvielle
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 18, 1983, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 12, 2014
Runtime
1h 50m
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