Patrick Stewart plays a high-tech criminal who decides to take hostage a high-profile private school to receive 75 million dollars from several of the kid's richest parents. However, he didn't anticipate a child mastermind to get in his way. Unfortunately, the film is unlikely and never gets exciting. It can't seem to decide whether it wants to be a film featuring a kid's bag full of tricks like Home Alone, a technical-genius-takes-on film like Wargames or a hopeless situation solved by an insignificant other like Independence day; it cannot be all at once. This film has drowned tragically into the deep end. The only thing slightly appealing to this film is another chance to see the charismatic Patrick Stewart on the screen and Brenda Fricker as the rock-strict principal.
____________________________________________________________________
Starring:
Patrick Stewart, Vincent Kartheiser, Brenda Fricker, Bradley Whitford, Matt Craven, Annabelle Gurwitch, Jon Abrahams
Directed by:
Roger Christian
____________________________________________________________________
1997 thriller
Rated PG-13.
____________________________________________________________________
Don Ignacio's score: D