Apt Pupil (1998)

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (novel)
Brandon Boyce (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

A boy blackmails his neighbour after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Criminal | Blackmail | Holocaust | Male Nudity

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Brad Renfro	...	Todd Bowden
Ian McKellen	...	Kurt Dussander
Joshua Jackson	...	Joey
Mickey Cottrell	...	Sociology Teacher
Michael Reid MacKay	...	Nightmare Victim
Ann Dowd	...	Monica Bowden
Bruce Davison	...	Richard Bowden
James Karen	...	Victor Bowden
Marjorie Lovett	...	Agnes Bowden
David Cooley	...	Gym Teacher
Blake Anthony Tibbetts	...	Teammate
Heather McComb	...	Becky Trask
Katherine Malone	...	Student
Grace Sinden	...	Secretary
David Schwimmer	...	Edward French

Also Known As:

L'élève doué (Canada: French title)
Un élève doué - Été de corruption (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for scenes of strong violence, language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

111 min | Argentina:112 min

Country:

USA | Canada | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby SR

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Brazil:18 | USA:R (No. 35516) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Alhambra, California, USA

Company:

Phoenix Pictures

Trivia:

Editor / composer John Ottman actually did two cameos in the film, but both were cut. The first was reading the lines of the off-screen teacher, but his voicing of lines was substituted last minute by Christopher McQuarrie. He also had a cameo as the music teacher conducting the high-school band in the graduation scene but was eliminated from the final cut.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: A 3-point line is visible on the school's basketball court. The setting of the movie is 1984 and the 3-point line wasn't introduced to the high school game until 1987.

Quotes:

Kurt Dussander: [regarding the killing] We had opened a door and couldn't be shut.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "State of Play: (#1.4)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Das Ist Berlin

Flawed but has great direction and good performances in an uneasy story

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.