Major Payne

Major Payne is a 1995 comedy film, starring Damon Wayans. The film is a loose remake of the 1955 film The Private War of Major Benson, starring Charlton Heston.

Plot
United States Marine Corps Major Benson Winifred Payne (Damon Wayans), a hardened Marine, returns from a very violent but successful drug raid in South America, only to find out that he has again been denied his long-hoped-for promotion to the grade of Lieutenant Colonel. Instead, Payne receives an honorable discharge on the grounds that "the wars of the world are no longer fought on the battlefield", and that his killing skills are no longer required by the U.S Marine Corps.

After leaving the military, Payne finds his life as a civilian unbearable, and within days he reaches his breaking point. To help adjust, he applies for a job as a police officer. However, during the test to see how applicants handle the domestic violence in family homes disputes, he "neutralizes" the "abusive husband" by knocking him unconscious and almost killing him. Payne is arrested and placed on charges of assault and violence. His former General visits him in prison and informs Payne that he has managed to get him out of jail and to secure a military job for him.

Payne arrives at Madison Preparatory School in Virginia, and is informed by the principal (William Hickey) that his job is to train the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. These "green boys" (as the principal calls them) are a disorderly group of delinquents and outcasts who have placed last in the Virginia Military Games eight years running. When Payne sees his company, he declares his intention that they will win the Games at all costs, and immediately sets about establishing order and discipline, making no exceptions for various handicaps that the cadets have (deafness, obesity, heart conditions, etc.). His punishment methods cause him to clash with Emily Walburn (Karyn Parsons), the School's counselor. Walburn tries to make Payne more empathetic, particularly towards six-year old orphan Tiger (Orlando Brown), but without much success.

Chafing under Payne's iron hand, the cadets, led by chief mischief Alex Stone (Steven Martini) make a series of attempts to get back at Payne, or force him to leave. Some of the schemes include giving him a laxative-loaded cupcake, attempting to portray Payne in a photo sleeping with one of the boys, and hiring a biker to beat up Payne. None of the cadets' plots succeed. Meanwhile, Payne earns affection from Tiger after saving him from a "bogeyman" in the closet by taking his gun and shooting the closet. He tells Tiger, "If he's still in there, he ain't happy."

Stone takes credit for hiring the biker to protect the rest of the squad, leading to Payne promoting him to squad leader. Stone refuses and lashes back at Payne. Things then come to a head when Payne offers to leave if they bring him the Military Games trophy. He sends the cadets on a black op to steal the trophy from rival Wellington Academy, and they enthusiastically attempt to do so. Dotson stays behind and requests to be transferred to another school. Tiger is upset that the older kids don't allow him to participate in the mission, and Payne attempts to help by telling his own version of The Little Engine That Could. Through the course of the story he apparently relives flashbacks to his time in the Vietnam War and is stopped by Walburn. She proceeds to ask him to dinner, meanwhile the cadets attempt their mission. However, Payne had placed an anonymous call to Wellington, leading to the boys' being ambushed by Wellington cadets before they can collect the trophy.

After Payne returns from the date, he is confronted by Stone about the sabotaged trophy mission. However he responds that it was not about fair or unfair, but about achieving the objective. Payne asks Stone if he wants the trophy, and Stone replies that he does. Payne then tells Stone that he will show him how to earn it, and starts training the cadets for the games. Though they are initially still reluctant, Payne earns some grudging respect from the corps after saving Stone from his abusive stepfather (Michael Ironside) by stopping him from striking Stone and sending him away from the school's premises. Subsequently, the cadets throw themselves into Payne's grueling training program.

The day before the Games, the corps has finally come together in good form and is ready for the competition. However, Payne's former General arrives with a request for Payne to return to the Marines so he can assist in Bosnia. His proposed deployment means he will miss the Military Games. This has a demoralizing effect on the cadets, but Stone brings them together to compete anyway. Payne follows his orders and sets off for his new engagement. But as he waits for his train, he has a vision of himself with Walburn and Tiger, barbecuing in the front yard of their dream home. His train then arrives and he stands ready to board.

At the Games, the Madison Corps are holding their own until Dotson, now a Wellington cadet, trips Stone during a race, injuring Stone's leg. Stone manages to get to his feet and hobble across the finish line, finishing in second place. This foul play sparks an all-out brawl between the teams that threatens to get them disqualified. Payne arrives at the last minute and sticks up for his team. Because Stone is injured and out of the competition, Payne appoints young Tiger to lead the squad. The group executes an unorthodox but entertaining routine which wins them the trophy, with Tiger at the front. Stone is personally awarded the Individual Cadet Achievement trophy.

Three months later, on the first day of the new school year, Payne has resumed being an instructor to the cadets, with Stone as squad leader. Payne's demeanor has softened quite a bit, declaring himself not only their commanding officer but also their friend. However, when a new blind cadet taunts Payne, Payne orders Tiger to get him his field knife, which he uses to shave the cadet – and his seeing-eye dog – bald, showing that sterness hasn't quite left him. The film fades out to the sound of Payne's laughter.

Production

 * The exterior scenes of the boarding school in Major Payne were filmed at The Miller School of Albemarle.
 * Most of the indoor scenes were filmed in a warehouse owned by 84 Lumber located in Chesterfield County just off of US RT 1 that was turned into a sound stage.
 * The opening scene was filmed just outside of the makeshift soundstage.
 * The fantasy scene at the train station was filmed at the Ashland Train Station, in Ashland, Virginia.
 * Orlando Brown had an on-set teacher/tutor during production. The same teacher/tutor was the on-set teacher for Benji Gregory, who played Brian Tanner in the TV Show Alf.
 * During production, filming had to be stopped throughout the day due to CSX trains passing by the soundstage.
 * The Military Games Scenes were filmed at Berkley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia.
 * There was an alternate ending for the movie. During the Military Games, Cadet Stone's drunken father gets into a fight with Payne. Somehow, he takes four cadets from another school hostage. Stone and the other cadets (one of whom, played by Ryan Scarbrough, was named Cadet Rachmil after one of the producers) are taken to a small building and forced to shoot at the cadets and onlookers.
 * Dean Lorey (co-author of the screenplay) stated on deanlorey.com that to his knowledge there is no Special Edition in the works.

Cast

 * Damon Wayans as Major Benson Winifred Payne
 * Karyn Parsons as Emily Walburn
 * Steven Martini as Cadet Alex J. Stone
 * Michael Ironside as Lt. Col. Stone
 * Orlando Brown as Cadet Kevin "Tiger" Dunn
 * Albert Hall as General Decker
 * Andrew Harrison Leeds as Cadet Dotson
 * Damien Wayans as Cadet Dwight "D." Williams
 * Chris Owen as Cadet Wuliger
 * Stephen Coleman as Cadet Leland
 * Mark Madison as Cadet Fox
 * Peyton Chesson-Fohl as Cadet Sgt. Johnson
 * Bam Bam Bigelow as a Biker (credited as Scott Bigelow)
 * Shawayna Phillips as Chante Bands

Reception
The film was critically panned. Movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has rated the film at 27% based on 11 reviews.

Box Office
The movie debuted at No. 2 behind Outbreak with $7 million in its opening weekend. Major Payne went on to gross $30.1 million worldwide.