robert-temple-1 For those like myself who enjoy watching Vincent Kartheiser in MAD MEN (I have just seen Season Six), and think that his waspish character is amusing and chillingly endearing, this archaeological relic of the young Vincent is interesting. Despite his playing a teenaged computer hacker, it was already his seventh film. He is one of those 'boys with a computer in a bedroom' who has trouble with authority and resents his step-mother and step-sister. He has been banned from his expensive private school because of previous bad behaviour, and has now been condemned to attend 'public school' (in America that means the pits, unlike England where it means the most expensive and the word 'public' really means 'private'). But he is ordered to take his obnoxious and taunting younger sister to class in his old school, where they let him in the gates 'only for five minutes'. But the five minutes turns into a desperate adventure. A sleekly confident security expert, played with tremendous flair and bravado by Patrick Stewart, has just installed the new security system at the expensive private school. But he has a dastardly plan. He intends to hold ten children hostage because their fathers are billionaires. He demands $650 million in ransom money from the ten parents. He takes over the school with armed men and seals it off, blowing up police cars and so forth. Vincent is trapped inside, having just been on his way out. So Vincent wages guerrilla war against Stewart and his gang and tries to save the kids and the school. He hacks into their computers and security system, blows things up, electrocutes an armed thug (who mysteriously recovers, having been only incapacitated), floods the drains with the water from the swimming pool, and a entire catalogue of amazing feats. The film is sanitized to make the violence just playful enough to be acceptable to kids watching, and people somehow mysteriously don't really die even when they should. That is the opposite of 'dying for a cause', for here they 'don't die for a cause', namely a certification that can bring in the younger audiences. The film contains elements of comedy and is meant as mere entertainment, not as a grim tale. And in that it succeeds. It is worth watching just for Patrick Stewart's wonderfully comic and sophisticated portrayal of a vain villain struggling against Kartheiser, whom he calls deprecatingly 'Dennis the Menace', and who keeps thwarting Stewart's evil designs at every turn. Kartheiser himself maintains the same intensity that we enjoy so much in MAD MEN. I wonder if in private life he arranges everything he owns (though there seems to be little of that left, for they say he has given away all his possessions) in neat rows and screams in protest if anything is moved. He certainly is one of the more interesting actors of our time.

Steve Basile (baze) If Hollywood keeps making bad copies of movies, at least they could see fit to copy a decent movie. Instead these bozos decided to copy the 1991 barely-B-Movie "Toy Soldiers" in this overacted cliche-filled steal wherever we can excuse for a film. It has the school kids held hostage, gadget-freak semi geek with a heart of gold, bad boys doing good and even the cute teens of Toy Soldiers, without the benefit of the dimples of Sean Astin or even the acting prowess of Wil Wheaton or R. Lee Ermey. Skip this one.

angelfan2602 This film is very good vincent kartheiser plays a naughty teen whose a hacker and ends up getting caught by his dad and step mom for trying to hack a computer game before its realeased and his punishment is to take his step sister to school which he was expelled from as being really naughty. Then once he has dropped his sister off he starts to leave when these gunn men take over the school and basically ozzy (vincent) saves the day by catching one of the people trying to get 650 million of the parents of the hostages parents. I'm not going to say anymore so people that want to see this film may has a few suprises.But its definatly one to watch. (thats if you can find it as its deleted.)

xoxma_alex I first saw this movie on cable, and loved it. After that i saw it a few more times, and each time noticed a little someting more new. Adults (over 25) may think of this as a foolish or dull movie, but it was not targeted towards them. It was targeted towards the high schooler who wishes something like this could happen so that he could feel better about himself. Each individual part is very well acted, and adjusted to work with the acting styles of the other actors. The harmony among the actors is impresive to say the least. V. Kartheizer is an actor that very few have heard of, but the work he does is outstanding. If you are looking for a movie to see on a friday night, this is it.