Masterminds is a 1997 American action comedy film directed by Roger Christian, written by Floyd Byers and starring Patrick Stewart, Vincent Kartheiser, Brenda Fricker, Brad Whitford, and Matt Craven. It tells the story of a computer engineering prodigy who matches wits with a security consultant who has taken over his stepsister's school that he used to go to as a ransom is demanded for their release. The film was met with mixed reviews with some praise towards Stewart's performance. Plot Oswald "Ozzie" Paxton (Vincent Kartheiser) is a computer engineering prodigy and expert hacker whose actions often have his father Jake (Matt Craven) threatening to send him to military school if he does not shape up. One day, he begins an unauthorized download of a soon-to-be-released movie. His download is interrupted when his younger stepsister Melissa Randall (Katie Stuart) enters his room without permission. The resulting squabble between them results in Jake and Melissa's mother Helen (Annabelle Gurwitch) intervening. In the process, Jake discovers the illicit download and Helen punishes Ozzie, making him take Melissa to her private school Shady Glen. He takes her there by skateboard where they run into Principal Claire Maloney (Brenda Fricker) and security consultant Rafe Bentley (Patrick Stewart) where it was revealed that Maloney previously expelled Ozzie which she explained to Bentley why security measures were taken after the "science room burnout" that Ozzie caused. Before he can get out of the school, Bentley and his crew of "security guards" use a variety of firearms and tranquilizer dart guns to subdue several staff members, lock down the school, and hold the children hostage. Bentley has planned stages of a ransom scheme involving their parents' corporations. Ozzie attempts to alert Melissa to the danger. She does not believe him and he is subsequently chased by one of the gunmen. Using a bunsen burner and a vial of acid, he is able to subdue his pursuer. He subsequently begins wreaking havoc with Bentley's computerized security system. The police make several attempts to breach the school's perimeter only to run into automatic gunfire, rocket launchers, and mines. As a concession, Bentley releases most of the children, but keeps the ten richest like Melissa and demands a very large ransom for their return. Ozzie locates ten of the eleven children and rescues them, but Melissa has been taken by Bentley. He then places an improvised time bomb at the bottom