Marshals Star Luke Grimes And Bruce Willis Crossed Paths In A Bizarre Comedy

Kayce Dutton is the role that turned Luke Grimes into a star. The actor is currently reprising his breakout "Yellowstone" role in "Marshals," a show that asks, "What if we did 'Yellowstone' as a CBS procedural that had no idea what it's actually about?" It's hardly the first time Grimes has appeared in a questionable project, however. Not only was he part of the "Fifty Shades" trilogy, but Grimes also starred in a rejected neo-Western series that never went beyond the pilot stage. Then there's 2008's "Assassination of a High School President," in which the actor appeared alongside Bruce Willis and "The O.C." star Mischa Barton. This one is "questionable" not because the film is bad, necessarily, but because it literally raises several questions with its premise alone.

For one thing, "Assassination of a High School President" is a comedy noir set in a New Jersey Catholic high school. It's narrated by an unpopular kid in a classic film noir style and features the unraveling of a conspiracy. But it also has the rhythm of a high school comedy and coming-of-age tale. Oh, and Bruce Willis is there. It's offbeat and sort of weird but charming in its own way, not unlike the young Luke Grimes who appears in the movie looking downright unrecognizable without his designer cowboy stubble.

"Assassination of a High School President" is the directorial debut of music video veteran Brett Simon, who, since making this film, has only helmed one other feature-length project: 2018's "Better Start Running." His initial foray into feature filmmaking was met with mixed reviews and encountered several hurdles prior to its initial release. But if you're interested in a little-known quirky comedy noir or simply want to see more of Grimes' pre-"Yellowstone" work, it makes for an interesting watch.

"Assassination of a High School President" stars Reece Thompson as Robert "Bobby" Funke, a reporter for his Catholic high school's newspaper. Bobby isn't the most popular kid in school, and his chances of attending Northwestern University's summer journalism program are looking slim since he's never actually finished an article. When he's assigned to write a report on student council president Paul Moore (Patrick Taylor), Bobby once again fails to produce a story. Soon after, however, SAT exams go missing from the tyrannical Principal Jared T. Kirk's (Bruce Willis) office, and Bobby sets out to solve the mystery.

Along the way, Bobby manages to implicate Paul and, in the process, steal his girlfriend Francesca (Mischa Barton), who may or may not turn out to be a femme fatale. It soon emerges that there's more to the story and that Paul may, in fact, be innocent. Luke Grimes plays one of Paul's friends, Marlon Piazza, who isn't all that fond of Bobby. Yes, that means he isn't actually in the movie all that much, but he does a solid job of playing a bully.

"Assassination of a High School President" premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival before its distributor, Yari, went bankrupt. That meant the movie sat in the vault for the next year until a theatrical release was abandoned, and it was sent straight to DVD on October 6, 2009. When it did arrive, critics didn't exactly hail "Assassination of a High School President" as one of the most essential High School movies ever made, but it does have its fans.

At the time of writing, "Assassination of a High School President" has a 55% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. That doesn't quite convey just how negative some of the reviews actually were, however. Cliff Doerksen of the Chicago Reader didn't find anything redeeming in the film, writing, "The noir pastiche is sitcom-ish, the characters vestigial, and the satire of high school so compromised I wondered if cowriters Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski weren't home-schooled." Stephen Farber wasn't quite as harsh in his review for The Hollywood Reporter, but remained similarly unimpressed by the films' apparent inability to "find enough novel insights to make for essential viewing."

Over on Letterboxd, however, things are a little more positive. "Assassination of a High School President" has plenty of good reviews, with one fan writing, "The cinematography is great, the editing is snappy, and the momentum keeps going." Others praised the film's "endearing cast" and even likened it to cult hits such as the similarly free-to-stream nostalgic 80s thriller "Heathers."

So, if you're intrigued by the prospect of a little-known early Luke Grimes performance or compelled by the promise of a high school noir that's essentially a cross between "Superbad" and one of the great noir movies (okay, a sort of decent noir movie), then "Assassination of a High School President" is worth a try. Heck, give it a go if you're just sick of "Marshals" continuing the "Yellowstone" franchise's depressing trends. "Assassination of a High School President" is available free on both Tubi and Pluto TV.