Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Fantastic!

For having a relatively low budget, the film's style and overall art direction are immensely impressive.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

"Apt Pupil" is compelling, reasonably intelligent entertainment ruminating on the concept of evil in so-called "human" beings. What makes the most vile among us do the things that they do? Can the evil in people actually lie dormant, just waiting for years to be either awakened or re-awakened?It's not a perfect film, by any means, but it's still an interesting story, adapted by Brandon Boyce and director Bryan Singer from the Stephen King novella. What keeps it on track is an extremely commanding central performance by Sir Ian McKellen, playing a Nazi war criminal named Kurt Dussander, or as he would now rather be known, "Arthur Denker". He lives incognito in a California community, and is recognized by Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro), a high school student studying the Holocaust.What does Todd do with his knowledge? Instead of running to the authorities to report his findings, he's actually intrigued by what he's discovered. In return for Todds' silence, the surly Dussander is made to tell all of his horrifying war stories. Todd even goes so far as to obtain a Nazi costume when he then orders Dussander to wear.The balance of the story deals with this unpleasant and evolving relationship between the elder and the "pupil". Each man takes turns wielding power over the other, with Dussander claiming to have made copious notes of their meetings.Renfro does a solid job as this disturbing youngster, going through the motions of living an ordinary teen life but always returning to this dark obsession of his. The supporting actors are all excellent: Bruce Davison and Ann Dowd as the unknowing parents, Elias Koteas as a well meaning hobo, Joe Morton as an FBI agent, Jan Triska as a Jewish professor, James Karen as Todds' grandfather, and Michael Byrne as a Holocaust survivor. (Just check out Byrnes' horrified reaction when he realizes who his hospital roommate is.) David Schwimmer, sporting a goofy moustache, is passable as a dorky guidance counselor.Singers' filmmaking favours a straightforward, mostly no frills approach, which helps. The music score by John Ottman can be pretty unsubtle at times, though. This viewers' main gripe would be the whole segment with Koteas, which he feels adds unnecessary padding to a story that really goes on longer than it should.The ending is the major letdown, but considering how the novella concluded, it's all too easy to understand, in these sensitive times, why it was altered.A solid effort overall.Seven out of 10.

APT PUPIL is the big budget film adaptation of the Stephen King novella of the same name, about an ordinary high school pupil who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a former Nazi. I remember the King story as being particularly chilling and disturbing given the subject matter, and it's no surprise the nastiness has been toned down for this big screen outing.APT PUPIL isn't a bad movie and indeed it starts off rather well. Ian McKellen, just before he hit the mainstream with X-MEN and LORD OF THE RINS, is outstanding as the former Nazi forced to relive his murky past, and the scene in which he dresses up in the full regalia is inevitably the film's chilling highlight.Unfortunately, at around the halfway point the movie starts to fall apart a little bit and the script lets it down. Brad Renfro just isn't a strong enough actor for the complexities of the lead role and McKellen isn't given enough to do in the latter stages. The excellent Elias Koteas bags a tiny yet highly sympathetic role and cult film fans may recognise James Karen in a one-scene cameo. But the story has been unforgivably altered and the lukewarm ending is a particular disappointment considering the potency of King's original climax.

Sadly whatever made the novel good is lacking in this adaptation.Apt Pupil is a movie that feels like a new director took over every five minutes with a different idea of where the movie should go. It creates a vortex that sucks up any chance at emotional connection to the characters or overall film.What little plot there is gets rushed. There are several times when the film is too lazy or simply incapable of properly showing passages of time so it simply cuts to black 'X weeks/months later..' screens.Poor editing destroys any chance to introspect on the conversations between Kurt and Todd. One moment Kurt will be describing Holocaust victims defecating on themselves in the gas chamber and then abruptly a basketball is on screen and Todd is at school in gym class. Then a moment later his friend is talking about dates and parties in the locker-room.The on screen chemistry between Kurt and Todd is that of a wet paper-towel. The characterizations feel wrong and not in an interesting way. Think of an adult being scared of a baby. That's basically what you get. Kurt, a former SS officer who worked in both Bergen-Belsen and the notorious Auschwitz camp shrinks constantly away at Todd who is nothing but an angsty spoiled emo teenager. The movie would've been far better served with a more aggressive stance from Kurt, especially when the movie is attempting to show how evil and 'badass' the Nazis were.Even without any sort of chemistry and with Kurt being blackmailed and forced to dress up for Todd, he abruptly takes a shine to him ala Miyagi style and impersonates being his Grandfather to the guidance counsellor and the movie shifts into Todd's school life and trying to get his grades up.Then it shifts back to them hating each other. Then abruptly Kurt, who is a wanted fugitive who has intelligently and carefully concealed his identity for decades and lived a law-abiding life in the US decides to stab someone.None of it makes much sense and we care even less to figure out why because he doesn't like Todd and Todd seems to be a blossoming sociopath who doesn't like anyone except himself.Ultimately I feel like what I watched was a boy's masturbatory fantasy about having his own private SS officer to dress up, interrogate and harass mixed in with odd and boring clips of teenage high school angst.Not good for a movie that bills itself to be basically a Nazi thriller.

Ian McKellen is an actor I know very little about, but after his unbelievable performance in "Apt Pupil", I am definitely going to seek out more of his films. The story of the student, Brad Renfro, and the Nazi war criminal, Ian McKellen, is both unique and intense. Their uneasy relationship is quite unpredictable as to who actually has the upper hand. At the same time, things seem to be spiraling out of control for both of them. The conclusion is quite chilling, as the sinister Gereman fugitive seems to have taught his pupil well. This film has violence, but it should not be considered exploitation. "Apt Pupil" is beyond the ordinary, thought provoking, and powerful. - MERK