Masterminds - Das Duell

I was one of the few who saw this movie in the theater back in '97. It really made me a fan of Vincent Kartheiser.

This movie is largely recommended for fans of either Kartheiser or Patrick Stewart, and it's surprising that there hasn't been a DVD release (that I've found). Both actors have a huge amount of screen time, and the movie itself looks great visually.

Stewart really camps it up, and appears to have had fun playing "Rafe" as an over-the-top villain. Sometimes the performance goes a little too over, though. Kartheiser did the best he could with the stereotyped "bad boy" image. I thought at first he seemed a little old for the role, but as the movie progressed I couldn't see anyone else in the part.

The movie has been compared to "Toy Soldiers", and also dubbed "Die Hard, Jr." While these elements do seem strong in the movie (plus the need for things to go KABOOM!), it doesn't seem to ruin the fun. Just check reality at the door and not worry about the details.

Could it have been better? Yes. Is it unwatchable? No. Will the adults like it? Maybe (fans of anyone in it especially).

Did I mention I really want this on DVD? Please!

One of the things I liked about MASTERMINDS, and parents will probably like this too, is that there is lots of shooting and explosions and all kinds of action. But the body count continuously remains at zero! Like someone said before, this is DIE HARD for kids. (It follows almost the exact plotline)

Overall, great movie, especially for kids 10-15.

4/5

Like Ozzie says when it's getting wrong: 'We have a Die Hard situation'. But its Die Hard for kids, a thousand bullets, without anyone getting hurt, no swearing and no sex. See it on video, it's for anyone above 10 and PG? I think not, parents could be very bored watching this. I myself (28) enjoyed it.

We've seen movies about crafty teenagers playing a cat-and-mouse game with thieves so many times that it all gets blurred. But "Masterminds" is pretty entertaining. When shyster Rafe Bentley (a mustachioed Patrick Stewart) takes a school hostage, troublemaker Oswald Paxton (Vincent Kartheiser) decides to make Rafe's life a living hell. In a way, the movie is mostly a series of gags, but well done gags. This movie probably won't have any major effect on the cinematic landscape, but it doesn't pretend to be anything that it isn't. It's pure, unadulterated fun.

Maybe if thieves ever take over a place, I'll just use some of the gags that I learned from "Masterminds".

'No good kid' Ozzie takes his young stepsister to school, and winds up in a hostage of the school by head of security Rafe Bentley (Patrick Stewart from Startrek / X-men). As Ozzie says himself: We got a die hard situation here people!

Thank goodness Ozzie is some sort of (computer)whizkid (apparently learned it from his dad) and sabotages the bad guys in many ways. Now, this computer thing is going way out of hand, with him infiltrating in the Pentagon (or something) in the beginning of the movie and his dad touching 2 keys and immediately infiltrates in the bad guys files... You also see the obligatory flickering 'NO ACCESS' and stuff like that... but who cares!

Near the end the movie loses it's touch a bit with a chase in the sewers (or something) and Patrick Stewart claiming to be a Manchester United fan... one of the worst scenes in movie history, I must admit.

But for 'one of the worst movies ever' (as it's sometimes called), I thought the movie was highly enjoyable. Flawed yes, far-fetched sure, but still...

Final score: 5/10.