Apt Pupil (1998)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn."</i> A boy blackmails his neighbour after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn."</i> A boy blackmails his neighbour after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Apt Pupil comes from 'Different Seasons', Stephen King's quartet of novellas that also spawned The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me. This movie is not in the same league as those two, but it still holds considerable interest as King explores the recidivist power of evil and the strange attraction it has to the young. Brad Renfro is Todd Bowden, a teenager who seems to have it all: terrific grades, affluent parents, even a gorgeous girlfriend. Beneath this seemingly perfect middle-class existence beats a dark fascination with the Holocaust and the Nazi death camps, particularly the gory details (you know the stuff: gas chambers, lampshades made from skin, electrodes attached to nipples, Mengele's ghastly experiments and so on.) He spots Mr Denker, an old man who lives in his neighbourhood - partly by chance, partly by his arcane reading, he recognises him as Dussander, a vigilante Nazi war criminal who has slipped from sight and set up in America. Armed with this knowledge, Todd blackmails the old man into recounting stories of Hitler's 'Final Solution' in all their grotesque horror. It's here that King excels, capturing the uncertain but developing relationship between the nervous old man and the monstrous boy; the content too lures us in, as we - like Todd Bowden - are grossly attracted to tales of the Holocaust even though we shouldn't be. As the film progresses, Todd's constant questioning starts to reignite the old hatred, the old thirst for blood in Dussander's veins, and the character starts to take on different shades. This is a workmanlike but relatively atmospheric account of King's novella, although the casting has always concerned me. Renfro was a good enough choice for Todd, but I've always felt that McKellen wasn't quite the right actor for Dussander. And David Schwimmer's casting as Todd's geeky school counsellor was laughable - I'm not sure what they were trying to achieve with that one. Still, it works on most levels and seems to get the majority of King's ideas and themes across to the audience. It's not a horror film by any stretch, more a psychological thriller, and quite a competent one.

• Conner R

  
  Maybe this isn't one of Stephen King's most popular stories, but it's sure one of his most realistically creepy ones. Bryan Singer takes this short story and turns it into a highly performance based movie, which is fine when you have two amazing actors pitted against… More
  Maybe this isn't one of Stephen King's most popular stories, but it's sure one of his most realistically creepy ones. Bryan Singer takes this short story and turns it into a highly performance based movie, which is fine when you have two amazing actors pitted against each other. I never get tired of seeing this story played out on screen and the characters are just so well managed. Brad Renfro looks like your average kid, which is why his bizarre characteristics are even more disturbing and effective. It takes a simple black mail scenario and spins it into something no one would expect. Ian McKellen does a great job as a shell-shocked Nazi war criminal and has you convinced every minute he is on screen. It must've been difficult to deal with such a touchy suspect and humanize the characters the way they do. Bryan Singer is a director that clearly knows what he wants to do and knows how to give off certain emotions with very little convincing. Apt Pupil isn't over-stylized, but incredibly subtle. To see so many evil things take place in such a warm setting us a lot more effective and lasting than having them take place where you might expect them. This is a movie that has only become more effective with age and takes you back to a time where so much of suburbia was still naive to the outside world and horrors that can possibly exist in your neighborhood. It's surreal to imagine your nice old neighbor as an escaped Nazi. I'm sure this movie will continue to be overlooked, especially when it comes to the intentions of the story, but for the people that do see it and understand it, Apt Pupil is one great movie.

• Jeff "

  
  Apt Pupil is a very interesting Thriller. Directed by Bryan Singer who is famous for directing the first two X-Men films directs this chilling and thrilling tale. When he discovers that one of his neighbors is a Nazi war criminal, teenager Todd Bowden persuades and blackmails Kurt… More
  Apt Pupil is a very interesting Thriller. Directed by Bryan Singer who is famous for directing the first two X-Men films directs this chilling and thrilling tale. When he discovers that one of his neighbors is a Nazi war criminal, teenager Todd Bowden persuades and blackmails Kurt Dussander to tell him about his war crimes. Dussander agrees and Todd Bowden starts a lesson he won't forget. Apt Pupil is not a horror film, but its most certainly horrifying due to its subject matter. Bryan Singer has a talented cast at hand and he takes every opportunity of the talent present to create something tense and unerving. However by the film's end you feel that something could have been improved and it could have been somewhat better. The film does a great job at capturing the cold, evil nature of Ian Mckellen's character (who is well cast and gives a great performance) But considering that this is a film directed by Bryan Singer, you know right from the start that this isn't his strongest directorial effort. Apt Pupil is an entertaining and good thriller that could have been a lot better than it is, but it manages to still have a good story and got thrills. Either way, you'll probably have chills coming up and down your spine when you watch the film. Despite its flaws, Apt Pupil is a good, entertaining thriller that delivers chilling moments that are quite disturbing.

• Derek D

  
  Based on a short story inside Stephen King's Different Seasons, it was better on paper, as usual, but the film was really good. Bryan singer does a good job with the direction of the film, but what really carries this is Ian McKellan's chain-smoking ex-Nazi neighbor who… More
  Based on a short story inside Stephen King's Different Seasons, it was better on paper, as usual, but the film was really good. Bryan singer does a good job with the direction of the film, but what really carries this is Ian McKellan's chain-smoking ex-Nazi neighbor who seems like the victim here but ends up completely changing the kid's life.

• Wahida K

  
  If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn.

• Cassandra M

  
  Young high school student Todd Bowden uncovers that an old man in his neighbourhood is really Nazi war criminal Kurt Dussander under the name of Arthur Denker. Bowden offers not to turn Dussander in if he agrees to tell him what it was like to carry out the crimes he did during the… More
  Young high school student Todd Bowden uncovers that an old man in his neighbourhood is really Nazi war criminal Kurt Dussander under the name of Arthur Denker. Bowden offers not to turn Dussander in if he agrees to tell him what it was like to carry out the crimes he did during the war. However the relationship changes both Dussander and Bowden, bringing evil to the surface in both of them. Having read the short story prior to the film being made I knew that this was going to be a difficult subject to bring to the screen. The film does a good job but makes many changes that will disappoint those who know the book. Treating the film as a separate entity it isn't bad but it happens too quickly and doesn't go deep enough. The plot is interesting but the depth Todd sinks to isn't convincing as half of it is forced on him and the other half he seems to embrace it. Dussander himself is well crafted but his descent into evil doesn't go far enough to be truly captivating. The ending is different from the book but I'm in two minds if it works better or not. Brad Renfro is good but I can't help but compare him to the character in the book and see his short fallings. However he does manage to keep his changes semi-realistic without descending into being OTT or turning into a cartoon character. McKellen is perfect in the lead role and he manages to be larger than life. An actor of Koteas shouldn't have done such a minor role but Schwimmer gives a good performance that isn't his usual `Ross' thing again. It's hard not to compare this to the book and beside that it pales slightly. As a film in it's own right it's ok but it doesn't quite convince and has an uneasy tone to it. Singer was always going to have a tough time following the amazing Suspects, but here he does pretty well. The direction is great and features plenty of great shots throughout the film. Overall it is a flawed film because it doesn't go as far as it should nor does it manage to totally sell the characters to us. However it's worth a watch for great direction by Singer and a good lead by McKellen.

• Luke B

  
  Apt Pupil has some really great ideas and some fascinating characters. It's a shame that the script doesn't revel in it's strengths. Renfro and McKellen make a fearsome double act. They have great chemistry, each taking turn as mentor and student. The balance of power… More
  Apt Pupil has some really great ideas and some fascinating characters. It's a shame that the script doesn't revel in it's strengths. Renfro and McKellen make a fearsome double act. They have great chemistry, each taking turn as mentor and student. The balance of power shifts often and realistically. This great chemistry seems to come from nowhere. Instead we get a One Month Later title card. This avoids a chance for some great development. The film also cuts corners, mainly in the outing of McKellen. Renfro just seems to recognise him from pictures . The end relies on a very big coincidence, of McKellen being put in a hospital bed, next to a man whose family he had killed. They somehow managed to come to the exact same town, in the same country, and end up in the same hospital, in the same room at the same time. It feels like a rushed and thoughtless ending. There's so much interesting stuff to explore here, with Renfro's future looming, and McKellen's past catching up, there is so much material that could be covered. Hopefully will become a TV series one day, as that would be the perfect medium.

• Ginny  

  
  Not a review: <br><br>This was one of those 90s movies that I found quite intriguing and yet very disturbing when I was a kid. I just saw it again on tv the other day and just realized how many good actors were in this movie, at that time some of them were just starting… More
  Not a review: <br><br>This was one of those 90s movies that I found quite intriguing and yet very disturbing when I was a kid. I just saw it again on tv the other day and just realized how many good actors were in this movie, at that time some of them were just starting out. I think Im gonna try to find a copy of this at the stores.<br><br><center><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/crashoverride001/GX7MREVIEWPENDING.jpg"></center>

• Emily A

  
  There's something about the idea of evil genuises that I really really like. And when they're paired in mutually parasitic, symbiotic and antagonistic relationships, all the better. The changing leverage that both characters have over each other is fascinating, and all other… More
  There's something about the idea of evil genuises that I really really like. And when they're paired in mutually parasitic, symbiotic and antagonistic relationships, all the better. The changing leverage that both characters have over each other is fascinating, and all other characters kind of fade into the background in contrast.

• Stephen M

  
  A schoolboy with a morbid fascination for the Holocaust forms an unhealthy friendship with a Nazi war criminal in hiding in California. The set-up, swiftly and disappointingly, becomes hollow and artificial, and a serious subject is reduced to a threadbare, inter-generational game of… More
  A schoolboy with a morbid fascination for the Holocaust forms an unhealthy friendship with a Nazi war criminal in hiding in California. The set-up, swiftly and disappointingly, becomes hollow and artificial, and a serious subject is reduced to a threadbare, inter-generational game of cat-and-mouse, with a couple of stabs at suspense, rather like a bad-taste version of "Sleuth" without any wit. When the Nazi survives the game only to be denounced by the old countryman in the next hospital bed, what should be a delicious irony falls completely flat, feeling merely preposterous. Good performances, though.

• Michael G

  
  Ian McKellan was great, but Brad Renfro was pretty weasely and unlikable. The fact that he's in a movie makes you realize how old said movie is. While it's definitely not the worst Stephen King adaptation, it's definitely not the best and just misses the mark. It's… More
  Ian McKellan was great, but Brad Renfro was pretty weasely and unlikable. The fact that he's in a movie makes you realize how old said movie is. While it's definitely not the worst Stephen King adaptation, it's definitely not the best and just misses the mark. It's just filled with too much random and nonsensical garbage to make you care.

• Lafe F

  
  Based on Stephen King story, a disturbed high school boy (Brad Renfro) discovers the old man (Ian McKellen) living next door is a Nazi war criminal. The evil boy chooses to blackmail the old man, in exchange for stories about the gruesome Nazi torture camps. The telling of the tales… More
  Based on Stephen King story, a disturbed high school boy (Brad Renfro) discovers the old man (Ian McKellen) living next door is a Nazi war criminal. The evil boy chooses to blackmail the old man, in exchange for stories about the gruesome Nazi torture camps. The telling of the tales invoke something evil in the boy and the old man, and things go too far. It's suspenseful and downright creepy. A classic tale which may disturb some.

• Dean M

  
  Not a bad drama adaptation of the Stephen King novella movie about a high school student obsessed with the Holocaust recognizes a former Nazi officer and blackmails him into sharing the details of his death-camp atrocities. It's a bit awfully of the evil.

• A.D. V

  
  Another crappy adaption of King.

• Curtis L

  
  Fun movie about Nazi's, and how once a nazi, always a nazi no matter how hard you try to fight it. Ian is the man.

• Andrew P

  
  A highly watchable film which unfortunately drags in a few places. What could have been a very interesting character exploration in Ian McKellen's natzi character just turned into a horrific and silly exageration of what we all persieve a natzi to be. Watchable but nothing to… More
  A highly watchable film which unfortunately drags in a few places. What could have been a very interesting character exploration in Ian McKellen's natzi character just turned into a horrific and silly exageration of what we all persieve a natzi to be. Watchable but nothing to take away from it.

• Dimitris S

  
  McKellen comes off clean despite the terrible part he succumbed himself into.Mind games,diverse substances,Singer manages to perfectly capture the roaring character of his protagonists.Unfortunately,he puts too much of an effort for them.Something's wicked out of the corner,and… More
  McKellen comes off clean despite the terrible part he succumbed himself into.Mind games,diverse substances,Singer manages to perfectly capture the roaring character of his protagonists.Unfortunately,he puts too much of an effort for them.Something's wicked out of the corner,and it's definitely not a masterpiece.

• Lauren D

  
  I haven't read the book so I can't make any comparisons to it. I found out about this movie whilst looking for 'disturbing' movies *shifty eyes*. I fail to see, however, what was supposedly disturbing. I found it pretty boring and actually missed a lot of what was… More
  I haven't read the book so I can't make any comparisons to it. I found out about this movie whilst looking for 'disturbing' movies *shifty eyes*. I fail to see, however, what was supposedly disturbing. I found it pretty boring and actually missed a lot of what was going on because I was really bored and wasn't really paying attention. It was slow the whole way through and never really interested me at all. Although I didn't think he was that great, Brad Renfro did a pretty good job considering he was only 16.

• Sunil J

  
  Ian McKellen is more than a little scary here.

• Lee K

  
  not bad stephen king adaptation, featuring an excellent performance from Ian Mckellen

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