Fandom Overview: Toy Soldiers
(From left to right: Ricardo, Snuffy, Joey, Billy, and Hank)
The Film
Toy Soldiers is, at least on the surface, a 1991 teen action-flick that didn't draw much attention when it was released. And, to be fair, at that point? None of the young actors comprising the ensemble of core protagonists, not even Sean Astin or Wil Wheaton (Billy Tepper and Joey Trotta respectively), had made it especially big. On the other hand, Louis Gossett, Jr. (Dean Parker) and Denholm Elliott (Headmaster) were, even then, well-known enough to have drawn at least a small audience.
The premise: Billy Tepper, who has by this point been kicked out of at least three other institutions, has been sent to the Regis School, which exists almost specifically to take in such problem-students as Billy. The student body at large is marked by the fact that a number of high-profile individuals, from politicians to corporate giants, regularly send their wayward sons there. The trouble begins when one of Billy's two roommates, Nicholas "Phil" Donoghue, the son of a supreme court judge, is mysteriously withdrawn from school and taken away by his father's bodyguards. Through the judicious application of eavesdropping, Billy and Joey (Billy's other roommate and, as is glaringly obvious right from the off, best friend in the world) manage to discover that the removal is for Phil's own protection. His father, currently involved in the high-profile extradition trial of a Colombian drug-lord, Enriqué Cali, has whisked the entire family off to an undisclosed location in order to protect them from potential backlash.
That evening, in the wake of Phil's removal, Billy sets up a phone-tap in the school's old kitchen cellar for the entertainment of Joey and their other three cohorts: Jonthan "Snuffy" Bradberry, Henry "Hank" Giles III, and Ricardo Montoya. Unfortunately, Dean Parker catches them in the act, and Billy rather generously attempts to take the fall (although Parker is too sharp to be fooled, as he understands Billy better than anyone, except for Joey). With both the guys' engaging group dynamic and Billy's antagonistic relationship to Dean Parker established, we cut to the next day: sunny and ordinary, save for the fact that Billy, Joey, and the rest have moved the Headmaster's entire office out onto the quad in revenge. In the wake of Billy and company being called out to move all the furniture back, a seemingly routine cafeteria scene erupts into chaos when armed gunmen storm into the room, demanding that the young man in the photograph their leader is carrying (very clearly Phil, we see as the photo is passed by Billy and Joey where they're crouched in hiding). When Luis Cali discovers that Phil has been removed from school, he realizes that there is no need to hold the son of his father's perceived captor hostage, what when he has an entire student body full of the sons of wealthy families at his disposal.
The remainder of the film chronicles the three-day hostage situation to follow - the overcoming of which Billy, Joey, Snuffy, Hank, and Ric play an instrumental part. The atmosphere is palpably tense and, in spite of everythihng, remarkably moving. The dynamic amongst this group of friends is unforced and believable, which gives the viewer an emotional foothold, a very real sense of what is at stake. And at the heart of this group of friends, Billy and Joey are so strikingly together that the film's ending proves exactly how much depends on the unique bond of love and courage that they share.
(From left to right: Joey and Billy)
The Cast
* William "Billy" Tepper: As the son of a wealthy, divorced contractor, Billy has spent most of his life being shuttled back and forth between his parents, which we are meant to surmise is at least in part the reason why he started acting out at school in the first place. Although academics aren't his strong point, it's clear that Billy is extremely intelligent, as his propensity for engineering complex and stylish pranks would suggest. Coupled with a natural openness and charisma, it's easy to see why this talent quickly earned him a spot as de facto ringleader amongst Joey and his friends.
* Joseph "Joey" Trotta: A quick-tempered, passionate, and moody artist (he's never without his sketchbook), Joey is perhaps the single most intrigue-susceptible student at Regis. It's an open secret that Joey's father, Albert Trotta, is head of the New Jersey mafia, and it's no secret that Joey despises his father. Joey is, in many ways, everything that Billy isn't - dark, difficult to get along with, and even rather bookish. Without the benefit of any backstory on the pair whatsoever, it's clear that Billy's openness is at least one of the contributing factors to his having accepted Joey exactly the way he is.
* Nicholas "Phil" Donoghue: Onscreen for less than twenty minutes total, Phil is something of a mystery. We see him assist Billy and Joey in spray-painting the school sign (REGIS altered to REJECTS using bright-orange spraypaint) and leave with the bodyguards that come to collect him, but, aside from that, the film is defined more by his absence than by his presence. Blond and athletic-looking, it's clear that he's probably one of the better players on the school soccer team (which Ric, Billy, and Joey are also part of).
* Ricardo Montoya: The son of a successful Mexican-American lawyer, Ric is quiet, good-humored, and fiercely loyal to his circle of friends. Having grown up bilingual puts him in a dangerous position with respect to the school's Colombian captors, and he ends up taking a few blows for initially lying about whether or not he can speak Spanish. Consistent banter with Snuffy in particular points in the direction of perhaps some early bond between the two of them, although there's a good measure of annoyance involved on both sides (he can't get Snuffy to stop smoking in the dorms, for example).
* Jonathan "Snuffy" Bradberry: The initial temptation is to describe Snuffy as a petulant snot, which is not, strictly speaking, untrue. He's the group's spoiled drama-queen, which is unsurprising given that he comes from a family that's not only involved in high-level Republican politics, but also in finance (his father is both head of a major New York bank and Chair of the Armed Forces Committee). Snuffy is never seen without his pack of Camels or without his roommate, Hank, who seems to have stepped into whatever shoes one may guess Ric used to fill. Even more curious, however, is the overt pleasure he takes in getting Joey riled up. At one point, the two nearly come to blows when Snuffy makes the mistake of not only calling Joey a "wop," but also bringing up his father.
* Henry "Hank" Giles III: Athletics seem to be Hank's major strength, as he's physically the strongest in the group. Hank has the unique distinction of getting on well with nearly everybody - Billy in particular. His job seems primarily to be that of keeping Snuffy in check when it's called for, in much the same way that Billy does for Joey. Like Snuffy's father, Hank's father is in politics, which may be another explanation for why the two stick together.
* Dean Parker: This man harbors no illusions as to what his job entails, which is probably why he's so good at it. Parker is strict with his students - especially persistent troublemakers like Billy - but, at the same time, affords them a humbling measure of respect. Parker is not on the school grounds when the attack occurs, which leads to a situation wherein he spends the majority of the film camped on the periphery with the military SWATs, acting as a sort of advisor as to what the implications of having a building full of teenage guys with authority-issues under the control of terrorists might mean. That's to say, not good. It's thanks to Parker's careful external maneuvering that the boys manage to accomplish what they do (although everything comes at a price).
* Headmaster: Rarely in control or, indeed, clued into what exactly is going on with the student body, the Headmaster is, in fact, on the school grounds when the attack takes place. In captivity, he proves to be an unexpected source of comfort to the younger, more terrified boys, as well as an effective mediator between the terrorists and some of the more insubordinate older students. If not for his presence, the situation would probably have gone to hell in a handbasket after a mere twenty-four hours.
* Luis Cali: In no case is the adage "like father, like son" more applicable. In the wake of is father's capture by the U.S. Government, Cali wastes no time in creating first a hostage situation at the Palace of Justice in Baranquilla, Colombia, from whence he escapes and subsequently makes his way by covert means to Regis (which is located somewhere on the U.S. East Coast, though we can't be sure precisely where). Cali is the only character in the film with a temper worse than Joey's, which makes him an especially formidable enemy. In addition, his black-market business ties to Joey's father and the mafia further complicate the situation.
* Albert Trotta: In spite of his son's hate, Albert is about as admirable a father as you could ask for when it comes to looking out for his son's welfare. He'll stop at nothing to attempt to get Joey out of the terrible situation, but the results are, unfortunately, catastrophic.
(From left to right: Joey and Billy)
Resources
billyjoeyslash: Your one-stop shop for all things TS on LiveJournal. It's the only community devoted to the film, and it has a clear slash bent in the direction of Billy/Joey. In fact, I can't say there's any non-slash fandom for this film, given that I'm both co-founder of the community and one of the very first writers to start producing fic (my co-founder being jennaria, also one of the very first to start writing). There are various permutations and side-pairings that tend to come along with the territory, most notably Snuffy/Hank.
Toy Soldiers Screencaps: Exactly what it says on the label. Sadly, though, it only covers about the first third of the film. However, these are a must-see, as the slashiness is obvious from quite early on. The most impressive scenes are late in the film, which, sadly, are not capped here (which is frustrating from a pimping standpoint).
Against All Odds: The Case for Billy/Joey on ship_manifesto: Several years old at this point, this was the only previous exposure that we'd managed to drum up for TS. If the impression you're getting is that it's a tiny, extremely close-knit community, that would be correct! However, by some miracle, most of the people who were there at the start are still there now, and I'd say we gain on average at least two or three people a year. For those of you wanting an angle more specific to the Billy/Joey relationship, this would be the thing to look at. Granted, I was the one to write it up with peripheral help from jennaria, meaning there's some risk of this looking like a self-rec. Unfortunately, given the tiny size of the fandom and the small number of us who have a history of being the PR team, it's the best we can do as far as citing resources is concerned (and is all the more proof that we could use some new blood)!
***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: If you read the above ship essay, please note that there's really no turning back. I've avoided mentioning it in this summary, as I know people generally hate spoilers, but it really does come to bear on the Billy/Joey pairing in particular - and makes it all the more precious.***