Year: 2003
Runtime: 98 mins
Language: English
Director: Sidney J. Furie
A heroic high school teacher leads a band of students trapped in school by violent drug-runners.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Detention (2003), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
A teacher who cares is not welcome at Hamilton High School. Sam Decker [Dolph Lundgren] is a former soldier who has returned from battles in the former Yugoslavia and the Gulf War to teach at the toughest school in town. He carries the weight of his past, and after years on the front lines, he is ready to walk away and resign, hoping to leave the chaos behind.
On the day he plans to quit, he stays for one last detention with the school’s most challenging students. The room is tense, and the students push back against any sense of order. Among them is Jay Tee Barrow [Mpho Koaho], a sharp, rebellious presence who embodies the struggle within Hamilton High.
But outside, after hours, a well-organized group of murderers with automatic weapons and explosives invades the school to hide a hijacked stash: $300 million in heroin. Their plan is meticulous: set up two police cars in the auto shop, stash the drugs in hidden compartments, and slip away with the loot.
Led by the calculating Chester Lamb [Joseph Scoren], the intruders push forward, only to discover that Sam and a clutch of detained students are still inside. Lamb’s crew includes Gloria Waylon [Kata Dobó], Viktor [Joseph Scoren], and Alek [Anthony J. Mifsud], who continue to stalk the corridors while Lamb watches everything on surveillance cameras and twists the building’s security system to trap their prey.
The siege becomes a tense cat-and-mouse across hallways and classrooms as Sam shows the kids practical ways to survive against armed attackers. The group must unravel a larger, disturbing conspiracy that reaches beyond the school walls, touching the police department and even higher levels of power. School security guards and paid local police were supposed to ensure that the school was empty after hours. However, Sam and his juvenile offenders were not considered by anyone. Yet Sam still has tricks to show the kids and a stubborn will to survive, guiding them through a night where every corridor becomes a line of defense and every lesson could mean the difference between safety and catastrophe.
The lesson for tonight at Hamilton High School is survival.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:22
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where characters are trapped in a single location, fighting for survival against overpowering threats.If you liked the high-stakes, single-location survival of Detention, explore more movies where characters are trapped and forced to fight back. These films deliver similar feelings of claustrophobia, desperate strategy, and non-stop tension against overwhelming odds.
The narrative typically begins with a sudden, violent incursion that traps a group of unprepared individuals. The story unfolds in real-time or over a compressed period, focusing on the strategic use of the confined space, mounting casualties, and the psychological strain of being hunted within a familiar place turned hostile.
These movies are grouped by their shared core premise of confinement and siege, which generates a specific type of sustained tension. They feature similar pacing, intensity, and a focus on survival tactics, making the viewing experience consistently stressful and action-packed.
Ordinary people, often outcasts or underdogs, must become violent protectors.Fans of Detention's heroic teacher defending his students will enjoy these movies about ordinary people becoming violent protectors. Discover similar stories of underdogs rising against evil, featuring heavy emotional weight, intense action, and strong bonds forged in crisis.
The narrative follows a protagonist with a potentially troubled past who is thrust into a leader role during a crisis. They must overcome personal demons or embrace a violent skillset they tried to leave behind, organizing a ragtag group of survivors against a clearly defined, superior enemy force.
These films share a powerful character archetype: the reluctant or unexpected protector. They blend heavy emotional stakes with explosive action, focusing on the moral weight of violence used for defense and the compelling dynamic between a leader and their vulnerable charges.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Detention in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Detention is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Detention with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Detention. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Detention that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
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