The Denzel Washington Forgotten Drama On Netflix That Will Leave You Speechless
Denzel Washington stars in Hard Lessons, the gripping true story of a high school principal on a mission.
In 1986 Denzel Washington starred in a TV movie titled Hard Lessons, which has been relatively forgotten since it didn’t go to theaters or get a ton of marketing. However, it’s definitely a film worth checking out now that it’s streaming on Netflix.
Not only does Washington give a characteristically fantastic performance, but the movie is based on an amazing true story about a high school principal named George McKenna, who dedicated himself to making his school a better place to learn.
Hard Lessons, originally called The George McKenna Story, came out before Denzel Washington was a big star, but you can already see how his charisma and intensity made him a superstar in this early role.
Washington stars as the titular principal, who takes on a new job at George Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles. The film is directed by Eric Laneuville and also stars Lynn Whitfield, Earl Billings, Ray Buktenica, Akosua Busia, Richard Masur, and Michael Milburn, with a score composed by the legendary Herbie Hancock.
When Denzel Washington’s George McKenna pulls up to Washington High School, the walls are covered in graffiti, students are members of gangs, and the dropout rates are incredibly high. In one of the most powerful moments of the movie, a promising young athlete is shot and dies in McKenna’s arm.
Not only is it a heart-wrenching scene in the film, but it’s even more tragic knowing that the event actually happened to McKenna in real life.
This tragedy leads Denzel Washington’s McKenna to make some major changes that were initially met with resistance, and this is where the bulk of the plot lies. At the end of the movie, the real George McKenna reports on the incredible turnaround of Washington High School and how it actually became a school that kids wanted to go to.
You’ll have to check out the film for yourself to see how it all panned out.
Knowing that everything in the film is accurate to the true story makes watching it even better, and having a legend like Denzel Washington in the lead role certainly helps give the film some wider appeal.
George McKenna himself said the movie was completely factual, albeit with a bit of a protracted timeline compared to how long it actually took to turn the school around when he was principal. Still, if you want to see a movie about how hard it can be for someone to make positive changes in the education system, it’s well worth a watch.
It’s also an excellent film to watch because it’s such an early leading role for Denzel Washington, who was best known for playing Dr. Philip Chandler on the TV series St. Elsewhere at the time.
However, just like McKenna at the start of the film, Washington was on the precipice of greatness when he starred in Hard Lessons. The following year, Washington would play anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom and earn his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Although Denzel Washington wouldn’t take home the Oscar gold that year, he ended up getting nominated again and winning for his 1989 film Glory. In short, Hard Lessons was the beginning of the end of Washington only being known for his work on TV.
After nabbing two Oscars nominations and winning one of them, he would keep his hot streak going with Spike Lee’s Mo Betta Blues in 1990 and then get another nomination in arguably his best role in 1992’s Malcolm X.
Denzel Washington’s would only continue to take on great roles from there, earning more Oscar nominations and wins along the way. Most recently, he played one of history’s all-time great dramatic roles as Macbeth in 2021’s The Tragedy of Macbeth. While we didn’t see anything new from Washington in 2022, we don’t have long to wait to see his next film, The Equalizer 3.
The Equalizer 3 will reunite Denzel Washington with his Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning and hit theaters on September 1. We can also look forward to seeing Washington in the highly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator in 2024, which also stars Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal. Until then, make sure to check out Hard Lessons on Netflix.
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