Masterminds (1997)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Roger Christian

Writers (WGA):

Floyd Byars (story) &
Alex Siskin (story) ...

Release Date:

22 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Comedy

Tagline:

The criminal mastermind of the century just met his match...

Plot:

Trapped in a school which a gang of criminals has siezed control, a young troublemaker fights a cat and mouse battle from inside.

Plot Keywords:

Die Hard Scenario

Cast

Patrick Stewart	...	Rafe Bentley
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Oswald 'Ozzie' Paxton
Brenda Fricker	...	Principal Claire Maloney
Bradley Whitford	...	Miles Lawrence (as Brad Whitford)
Matt Craven	...	Jake Paxton
Annabelle Gurwitch	...	Helen Randall Paxton
Jon Abrahams	...	Richard 'K-Dog'
Katie Stuart	...	Melissa Randall
Michael MacRae	...	Foster Deroy
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Ollie
Earl Pastko	...	Captain Jankel
Jason Schombing	...	Marvin
Michael David Simms	...	Colonel Duke
David Paul Grove	...	Ferret (as Buck)
Akiko Morison	...	Janet

Also Known As:

Smart Alec (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence included in a children hostage situation, and for language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 (video premiere) | UK:12 (video premiere) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Hatley Castle, Royal Roads, Colwood, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Byars-Dudelson

Trivia:

When Patrick Stewart's character makes his first appearance, he asks Principal Maloney to call him by his first name, "Raif," to which she immediately replies "Fine." This is a reference to the actor Ralph Fiennes, whose name is pronounced "Raif Fine."

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Bentley grabs the bug from Foster, he yells, "What the hell is this? Foster!" When it shows his face, and he is supposed to be saying, " - the hell is this?" he is just saying, "Foster!"

Quotes:

Raif Bentley: You know, I'm not a violent man but I really do think I'm going to have to kill someone here.

Movie Connections:

References Scream 2 (1997)

Soundtrack:

Pornoesque

Light Entertaining Movie

Like so many others have said, this movie is "Toy Soldiers" meets "Home Alone" The way Ozzie takes care of this group of terrorists is more slapstick than violent. (But don't get me wrong, it still has its share of violence.) I think in some ways the character Ozzie seems more like the Billy Tepper of the book "Toy Soldiers" than Sean Astin did.

It's a silly movie, and if you take it for that, a really good one. I enjoy this when I'm in the mood for action without the heart-pounding drama and blood. With the exception of Patrick Stewart, the cast is filled with then unknown actors. I've enjoyed Vincent Kartheiser in this, and everything I have seen him in since.