Customer Reviews

Apt Pupil

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Dear Seller

Thank you for delivering this DVD. The story, which I had read in "Different Seasons" by Stephen King, is very intense. This is a reminder of the holocaust which is the saddest period of our times. If I enjoyed this movie, it is just because of the great acting in it reminding us that Brad Renfro was indeed a good actor and that his passing happened way to soon. Thanks again!

Regards,

Diane St-Denis

This movie was not a horror movie like the preview might stimulate it as being but it is more of a dark drama, until the middle when it starts going into the thriller genre. This movie was as good as it was because of one person, Ian Mckellen. He made the movie and put on a chilling performance as the Neighbor Nazi. The movie's ending I didnt expect it, but it did not have the huge twist like Usual Suspects, Singer's other movie, but I still thought it was neat. Overall for six dollars i felt that this movie was sure worth the price and i would have payed ten to see it.

Director Bryan Singer seems fascinated by the dense blackness that comprises the unpleasant side of the human psyche, and he has built a reputation on creating films that explore those darker facets of mankind. Fans will not be disappointed, then, by APT PUPIL (1998). It is a riveting but disturbing fictional thriller that deals with the real-life subjects of evil and the Holocaust, the latter being a topic that is often regarded as too sensitive and controversial for all but non-fictional works. With APT PUPIL--which is based on a Stephen King novella--Singer actually uses the Holocaust as a backdrop for his exploration of the ease with which evil can take root in even the most prosaic of locations in the everyday world. And to a lesser degree, the film is also Singer's comment on the strong influence that an authority figure can have on shaping the worldview of a naïve and eager disciple.

In the film, an American high-school honor student (Brad Renfro) who is fascinated by the history of WWII--specifically the Holocaust--discovers that an elderly German émigré (Ian McKellen) living in the neighborhood is actually a hunted Nazi war criminal incognito, and the clever boy is able to gather enough evidence of this fact that he could easily expose the old man's true identity. But instead of turning his data over to the authorities, the boy uses it to muscle the elderly gent into sharing the details of the atrocities he committed during the war--details that "they're afraid to tell us about in school."

Of course, the old Nazi is outraged, but he also knows he's been trapped. So he ultimately resigns himself to the situation, and detailed stories of heinous actions he does tell. It isn't long before the recounting of his wartime atrocities awakens the old man's long-dormant fiendish and sadistic urges. And though the stories at first give the boy nightmares, it doesn't take too long for the boy's mind to start soaking up the vicious and perverse Nazi philosophy like a sponge soaks up water. The boy is an apt pupil indeed.

The acting in APT PUPIL is nothing short of superb. As the Nazi fugitive, the venerable Ian McKellen delivers a tour-de-force performance. He skillfully creates a convincing portrait of an utterly sadistic and amoral personality that is successfully kept hidden behind the façade of a subdued and affable persona. McKellen's performance is so realistic, in fact, that one is simultaneously awed by the actor's talent and disturbed by his characterization. Brad Renfro is also excellent--and frightening--as the white-bread everyboy whose minor inclination towards sadism is transformed into unfettered evil under the influence of the aging Nazi refugee. And though Renfro hasn't McKellen's range of skill or experience, he plays well against his mature colleague and does not come off as second-best.

David Schwimmer--better known from his role as Ross on TV's wildly popular FRIENDS--gives a believable and refreshingly somber performance in a supporting role as the boy's school counselor. And genre fans will surely recognize Bruce Davison, here playing the boy's father, from his break-out performance as the titular character in the original WILLARD (1971). Fans may also recognize genre regular James Karen, who here appears as the boy's grandfather.

As stated before, it is often considered a no-no to reference or address the Holocaust in fictional films. So it's not surprising that some critics decry APT PUPIL for trivializing the Holocaust and the suffering of Holocaust victims. But this criticism is unfounded, especially in light of the character treatment in this film. While it may be true that McKellen's interpretation of the fugitive Nazi is sometimes sympathetic, the actor never portrays the old man as repentant and therefore never assuages the repugnance or wickedness of the acts committed by such Nazis during WWII. And when the boy reveals what HE has become under the old Nazi's tutelage, his true nature is regarded as frightening and dangerous and NOT glamorous or alluring.

The DVD edition from Columbia/Tristar is a two-sided disc that offers an anamorphic widescreen version of the film in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio (side A), as well as a full-screen pan-and-scan version of the film (Side B). The widescreen version is pristine, with few, if any, visible digital or filmic artifacts. Also on the disc are the original theatrical trailer and a short making-of featurette. All in all, this is an impeccable, reasonably priced edition of a captivating film that belongs in the collections of all serious genre fans or lovers of good cinema.

'Apt Pupil' was half decent until the ending, where the resolution of the story was ridiculously implausable. Yes, the Germans did very terrible things during WWII, but how long will the media continue to hammer the Germans over and over again? Haven't we had enough of the German Holocaust Thing? How many more movies can they possibly make about the subject matter??

Buoyed by the marvelous performances of Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro, APT PUPIL, Stephen King's expose on the horrors of the Holocaust, manages to entertain and provoke thoughts of this horrible blight on mankind.
However, at the heart, I couldn't understand Renfro's obsession with the Holocaust, nor really understand where his cold heart came from. His cruelty in humiliating McKellen during the infamous uniform/march scene, is totally despicable in showing Renfro's callousness. Everything points to the fact that despite McKellen's evil, Renfro's is even worse in that he chooses it for pleasure, rather than the distorted duty of a Nazi soldier.
The movie seems a little long at times, but director Bryan Singer keeps things interesting and his evocation of the above mentioned performances, is to his obvious credit.

As usual, it seems like the director never reads the book. We all rented this and were disappointed up to the end. Where was the famous scene where the boy shoots at passing cars on the highway? The metal band Anthrax knows more about this story than these movie makers. Check out their song 'Skeletons in the Closet'. That was a great adaption. This movie sucked.

This is one of Stephan King's best stories that was turned in an ok movie. The story was more graphic and the ending was much better, but this is an excellent movie all the same. I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history to see how they can take things that happen all that time ago, and bring them back into today's society. Great movie and even better written story

This is the story in which Stephen King Tackles the Holocaust, a dangerous and difficult topic at best of times, an explosive one if it is not handled well. But the King of Horror pulls it off with great skill, sensitivity and panache. A uniquely insightful psychology thriller about an aged SS officer living under an assumed identity in idyllic American suburbia, whose true identity was discovered by a teenager and who was subsequently 'blackmailed' into telling the youth his true-life experience as a death camp commandant in Poland. Stephen King handled this potentially difficult subject with his usual consumate skill at managing the dramatic, and the director skilfully translated this on-screen with a relentlessly masterful control of the build-up of plot tension. This is the best, and like the very best of DARK chocolate it is also very dark and bitter. One of the better on-screen treatment of the Master of Horror, Stephen King. A remarkably keen-eye and un-preachy treatment of the issue of ex-Nazis and their subsequent lives living incognito amidst their arch-enemy, America. If one is interested in this topic one should also watch MOTHER NIGHT (1996, starring Nick Nolte) for a dramatic adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's 1961 novel of the same title.

The third film spun from a book by Stephen King (the others being Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption), Apt Pupil is adapted with skill from the book by director Bryan Singer.

The story centers around an intrepid young suburbanite who tracks down an elderly Nazi war criminal in his neighborhood. The teenager, Todd, (played by Brad Renfro) at first has the older man where he wants him and humiliates the Nazi Kurt Dussander (played masterfully by Sir Ian McKellan) and forces him to give him graphic accounts of his crimes, always hanging the evidence he has against him as the "sword of Damacles" over his head. However, through an interesting series of events, the teenager's school troubles result in a stunning reversal of fortune for Todd and he is forced by Dussander to do his bidding. All of the while, Todd is slowly becoming like the evil Dussander whom he despises and is facinated with. Todd's strange evolution from a pigeon killer to a cruel blackmailer and murderer is stunning.

David Schwimmer also has a great role as Todd's hapless guidance counselor Ed French. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool enemy of the TV show Friends, but Schwimmer's performance was excellent and gave me a newfound respect for him as an actor.

While most alterations of books in the translation from page to screen are almost always for the worst, the film version significantly alters the ending of the book for a vastly improved effect. The book ends in a typical Stephen King-esque gory way. The film's conclusion is more in-line with the subtle and creepy tone of the entire book and is much better than the book's ending.

The bottom line is that this is a vastly underrated movie (much like the Shawshank Redemption when it first came out in theaters) and another great adaptation coming from a Stephen King book (makes me wonder when someone is going to put out "The Breathing Method" on film).

Based on a book by Stephen King, 'Apt Pupil' is a movie that is as fascinating and entertaining as it is disturbing. Sometimes it is wiser to let the past remain in the past, as high-school student Todd (Renfro) finds out. After studying the Holocaust in school, Todd personal research leads him to former Nazi concentration camp commander Kurt Dussander (McKellen), who is living in his neighborhood. Todd threatens the old man with exposure as a war criminal unless Dussander tells Todd all his 'stories', 'everything they're afraid to show us in school'. Thus began Todd's unusual relationship (though never friendship, as Todd's motives were neither friendly nor sincere) with the ex-Nazi officer. Soon things began to spiral out of control. Dussander had been living as a recluse before Todd's interference, but now Todd had triggered off Dussander's memories, with deadly consequences. Todd's morbid fascination with Dussander led him to treat Dussander as a stooge, buying him a SS Officer uniform as a Christmas gift and making Dussander march at his sadistic command. Not one with a kind heart in the first place, Todd kills a pigeon with a broken wing at his school gym, has a nasty confrontation with his well-meaning best friend and displays other behavioral changes after being haunted by Dussander's 'stories'. Dussander tries to kill a neighbor's cat, Todd's grades slip, Todd makes a deal with his guidance counselor, the friendly neighborhood tramp witnesses Dussander donning the SS uniform and the plot generally thickened and grew more intense. While 'Apt Pupil' is a praiseworthy departure from the traditional teen horror flick, many questions are left unanswered, for instance; How did a teenager manage to identify the elderly man as a Nazi war criminal when the governments and even the Interpol failed to do the same? Also, at the interrogation of Todd, why did his pathetic and contradictory answers fail to rouse the suspicion of the investigating panel? Why did the police not keep a closer watch on their detainee when they knew it was a Nazi war criminal they had in their custody? A weak ending also limited the potential of the movie to become a classic. An exciting film if you believe that there is at least a little evil even in the best and brightest of us, otherwise an insult to the memory of the Holocaust.