Apt Pupil

Rating:
Summary: chilling
Review: It's a good and disturbing film with strong performances

Rating:
Summary: Perfectly Evil
Review: May be slow for some, but for people looking for a good thriller that makes you think, look no further than Apt Pupil, one of the better Stephen King thrillers (and there are a few). Renfro is questionable as the young all American kidd turned into a vicious little bastard, but it's such a delight to watch Ian McKellan play the Nazi in hiding, giving one of his best performances for sure. Holocaust as the background may bother some, but it's the appropriate evil backdrop.--wcg

Rating:
Summary: VERY DISTURBING FILM!!
Review: I saw this movie in the theaters when it came out. From the trailer it looked very good. But I expected a very different movie. When I actully went to go see it, it was the most disturbing, dark and the most evil movie I have ever seen. Although it was very slow it was very compelling. Two girls that I went with were actually crying and wanted to leave the theater. It is a very DISTURBING film. That is the best I can describe it. But it's not surprising because Steven King wrote it. When I left the theater alot of thought went through my mind. Some of the scenes were just too much. This movies definatly shows how evil, evil can be!!!

Rating:
Summary: weak script and weaker acting
Review: This move highlights Singer's over use of actors and filming stories tha get away from the point. It's a weak movie full of more style then substance, and shows how Singer would make X2; X-Men United (anti-american all the way), and now he will destroy Superman in a new, unneeded film.

Rating:
Summary: Sickening
Review: When I discovered a Stephen King short story provided the impetus for Bryan Singer's 1998 film "Apt Pupil," I cringed in horror. Not because I thought the movie would succeed wildly, but because I am all too familiar with cinematic adaptations of King's work. For every "Carrie" and "The Shawshank Redemption" we must suffer through a plethora of half-realized schlock made only to cash in on the writer's fan base. I remember the story upon which this film is based, although my recollections are vague because I read it roughly fifteen years ago. Having said that, I am fairly certain Singer takes substantial liberties with his retelling. Changing a few things around isn't all bad, however, since even King admits that certain horrific scenes shoehorned into film versions of his stories work so well that he wishes he had thought of them during the writing process. But going into this film took a bit of nerve on my part, specifically steeling said nerves, because I dreaded seeing another piece of "Stephen King presents" junk. I also worried over the presence of Brad Renfro, who has done good work before but sometimes doesn't fit in a role well. I needn't have worried.

"Apt Pupil" is the story of Todd Bowden, a brilliant high school student and athlete with everything going for him in life. His family--father Richard (Bruce Davidson), mother Monica (Ann Dowd), grandfather Victor (James Karen) and grandmother Agnes (Marjorie Lovett)--care about him deeply. His friend Joey (Joshua Jackson) and his girlfriend Becky Trask (Heather McComb) provide plenty of entertainment away from home. So why would Todd Bowden become so interested in the Third Reich after learning about it in a history class? His interest, it seems, centers on an enigmatic man living nearby who Todd suspects may well be the notorious German war criminal Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen). Young Bowden's copious and thorough research provides him with enough evidence to walk up to the man's door and confront him with the findings. Predictably, Dussander tries to deny everything, claiming he is merely a poor German immigrant who smokes and drinks too much and who is in poor health. While these things are certainly true, so is the fact that this man bears the responsibility for the deaths of thousands of Jews. Instead of turning Dussander into the authorities, Bowden blackmails the aging criminal into telling him what really happened during the holocaust.

What follows does not bear out in any way Hannah Arendt's "banality of evil" phrase. There's nothing banal at all about Dussander; he's a horrifying human being who rapidly begins to regress back into his old role thanks to Todd's demands. As for Bowden, the progression of the film reveals that he is as sick, if not sicker, than this aging war criminal. Todd purchases a uniform through a mail order house and forces Dussander to march around the house while wearing it. Why? To give Dussander's stories more color, I guess, but it's very warped and not at all healthy. Eventually, Bowden comes to regret his intervention in this man's life when Dussander begins to fight back. Blackmail turns to counter blackmail as Bowden and Dussander spar for a position of supremacy in the relationship. Both degenerate under the pressure, and it isn't too long before murder enters the picture. Perhaps the conclusion is inevitable and predictable, but Bowden's sinister confrontation with his high school guidance counselor, Edward French (David Schwimmer), is anything but predictable. The young man vividly reveals how well he assimilated the lessons taught to him by Dussander. He is indeed an apt pupil.

"Apt Pupil" works so well thanks to the strengths of its two lead characters. Renfro has rarely turned in as good a performance as he does here, giving us a nuanced interpretation of a troubled young man with plenty of dark secrets to hide. McKellen, it should go without saying, is always good in anything he chooses to take on. "Apt Pupil" is no exception as the veteran actor radiates chills with a look, a smile, or a slight movement of his body. Renfro and McKellen have great chemistry together onscreen, so much so that it is difficult to imagine any other actors in their place. What doesn't work as well is the confrontation between French and Bowden. For some inexplicable reason, I sympathized with Todd Bowden and secretly hoped he would come out on top. This sensation is not a positive one, and I wondered afterwards if director Singer wanted the audience to feel this way. It would make sense to try and bring viewers to a closer understanding of Bowden's particular sickness since by doing so we would come away with a better understanding of how the Third Reich managed to inspire so many people to help them carry out their sordid activities. Whatever the case, "Apt Pupil" is definitely a disturbing film. As for the DVD version, supplements on the disc include a trailer, cast and crew biographies and filmographies, and a short behind the scenes featurette.





Rating:
Summary: An Excellent King Adaptation
Review: This is a Stephen King adaption to film that really works. It has a different ending that is well done. Most King films are far inferior to the book. This movie is on par with the book. King's "Apt Pupil" is located in his book of 4 stories with the title "Different Seasons."

"Apt Pupil" is full of suspense and is well acted. There is a psychological battle between a young man and an old man that is absolutely chilling. The story has twists and turns that can not be anticipated. It is not a formula movie but it is a creative work of art. It is an ambitious investigation into the nature of evil.

Rating:
Summary: A Psycho Game of S&M
Review: A boy afraid of his own sexuality finds out a secret about his neighbor and turns it into a psychological power struggle. In this case, the guy is a nazi -- but in this film, he could have been a plain-old serial killer or child molester ... anything.

Leveraged secrets allow an intense psycho-sexual game of S&M throughout this pic. Witness the ending where the boy makes threats to another with the one thing he is most afraid of. (...)

Twisted and intensly acted.


Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and chilling
Review: Like "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Stand By Me", this is a King adaptation that actually works. It does so because writer Boyce and director Singer wisely ditch most of King's by-the-numbers gore in favor of a far more interesting focus on his two amazing characters. This is a more tightly constructed narrative than the novella, and it replaces the unnecessarily violent climax with a scene which is more subtle, more credible, and therefore far more chilling. The young Brad Renfro strikes an exquisite balance between innocence and menace, and Ian McKellen is at times legitimately terrifying as the aged Nazi. (See "Richard III" for another of McKellen's Nazi variations.) So why did this film do so poorly at the US boxoffice? From the tone of most of the criticism, it's apparently because it deals with a difficult subject and argues an unpopular case: that the horrors inflicted in the name of Nazism were not necessarily a manifestation of a particular time, place or national perversion. Rather, they represent the activation of a potential for evil which exists in us all - yes, even in the heart of the all-American boy. That's not something most of us want to be told ... at least, not on a Friday night at the movies. Thanks to Bryan Singer for saying it anyway.

Rating:
Summary: incredible
Review: This is an incredible film that shows you how evil can spread.

Best news is that this film has hit rock bottom. As such you can pick it up from Wall mart for $5.99.


At that price you have to have this film in your collection. Simply put , the film takes a historical idea and brings it to a dramatic conclusion.

-Enjoy:

David

Rating:
Summary: Teacher's Pet
Review: Before director Bryan Singer stepped into the world of comic book heroes, bringing the X-Men and the Man Of Steel (back) to the big screen, he decided to adapt one of Stephen King's novellas. As his follow-up film to the mega hit, The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil, works mostly due to the strong performances of its two lead actors.

After a brief lesson in history class, star pupil Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro) becomes obsessed with Hitler and his followers. Through extensive research, he discovers that infamous Nazi war criminal, Kurt Dussender (Ian McKellen) has been hiding out and living a quiet life in his own neighborhood. But instead of reporting Dussender to the authorities, Todd decides to use him to gain further knowledge--everything that the history books won't tell him. But who ends up using whom, and what happens to a susceptible young mind, as Todd comes face to face with true evil?

Singer creates enough tension and suspense between the two leads to keep you watching. Just as he had done in The Client, Renfro proves how taleted an actor he is, holding his own opposite McKellan. For his part, McKellan embodies creepiness as Dussender. The script adapted by Brandon Boyce plays around with the story's end (gee, there's a surprise for a King adapted film). I can forgive any such infraction, thanks, to the way the film is crafted. Filled with some of the same Singer touches that are benchmarks of his previous films. Careful editing, use of small spaces to evoke tense atmospherics, terrific cinematography, and acting still makes the film quite disturbing as it explores the dark side of human kind.

The DVD is a bit disappointing in terms of the bonus material presented on it. An EPK (electronic press kit) style featurette doesn't offer much production value if you will. It covers all the bases but offers no real suprises. Since Singer knows how to record a commentary that would have worked better I'm sure. The theatrical trailer is the only other extra. Viewers can watch the film in either the widescreen or full frame formats.

Apt Pupil is a solid effort in the filmography of Bryan Singer. It is time well spent. Special Edition anyone?...