Fist & Faith 2017

On the eve of summer vacation, a school town teems with mischief as students stage an elaborate senior prank day, while teachers scramble to keep control of the chaos. In the midst of the commotion, Andy Campbell, an anxious English teacher worried about his pregnant wife and growing family, hears rumors that all departments may be downsized, which only adds to the tension of the day.

When Ron Strickland, a history teacher, asks Campbell for help with a class task involving a stubborn VCR, a student named Neil secretly uses his smartphone to run a prank. Enraged, Strickland grabs a fire axe and destroys Neil’s desk, sending the entire room into a panic as students flee. Both Campbell and Strickland are hauled into Principal Tyler’s office. They initially plan to keep the incident quiet, but Campbell chooses to tell the truth after Tyler threatens to punish them both if they don’t come clean. Strickland loses his job, and he challenges Campbell to a post-lesson fistfight. Facing the belief that he stands no chance against Strickland, Campbell tries to set matters straight by involving Neil to give false testimony that would exonerate Strickland. The scheme succeeds, and Strickland is reinstated.

That same day, Campbell and Strickland receive an emergency call from school counselor Holly. They head to a meeting she orchestrates to discuss their issues, but they soon realize they’ve been maneuvered into a trap. Campbell shares the news of Strickland’s reinstatement, which only fuels Strickland’s anger and his insistence that the fight must go on. In a bid to resolve the situation, Campbell calls 9-1-1 for assistance, only to be mocked by the operator when she learns the reason for the call. After seeking guidance from Holly and Coach Crawford, Campbell devises a desperate plan to remove Strickland from the campus by any means necessary.

With time running out, Campbell coerces Neil into supplying MDMA and plants the evidence in Strickland’s satchel. He then calls the police, hoping to have Strickland arrested, but the operation goes awry and both teachers end up in custody. They share a cramped cell, and Campbell secretly manipulates a large inmate into delivering a brutal beating to Strickland—only as a signal to preserve the plan. Campbell returns to Strickland, who, exhausted by the day, wants to back off the confrontation. Yet Strickland refuses to quit, and when the inmate finally attacks, Strickland knocks him out with relative ease. Realizing Campbell was behind the setup, Strickland declares the fight back on. The two are eventually released when investigators discover the drug used to frame Strickland was merely aspirin.

Regaining their footing, Campbell heads back to the school board, Tyler, and Superintendent Johnson, only to learn that most of his colleagues have been fired. He remains steadfast and voices his concerns about how the public education system is under-supported and underfunded. A spark of hope comes when he attends his daughter Ally’s talent show, where Ally’s performance—an energized rendition of Big Sean’s “I Don’t Fuck with You”—serves as a turning point for Campbell, inspiring him to stand up more firmly for his beliefs and his school.

In the climactic parking-lot face-off, the feud between Campbell and Strickland erupts into a chaotic spectacle that spills into the hallways. Strickland initially dominates, but Campbell rallies and nearly wins by knocking Strickland unconscious with a fire extinguisher—only for Strickland to recover and land a decisive punch, ending the fight. As Campbell’s phone rings and reveals that his wife Maggie is in labor, Strickland chooses mercy and drives Campbell to the hospital, putting an end to their feud—at least for the moment.

Over the summer, a breakthrough arrives: Tyler informs Campbell that the day’s publicity and public outcry have prompted the Department of Education to dedicate more resources to their schools. Campbell must decide whether to rehire his colleagues, and he agrees on the condition that everyone who was fired is brought back. As the new school year begins, Campbell and Strickland have become allies, and Campbell embraces a more assertive role in guiding his students toward learning.

A post-credits moment shifts the tone: Coach Crawford is shown flirting with the 911 operator in person, rapping to her before realizing he doesn’t even know her name.