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Apt Pupil, 1998

Apt Pupil

English

USA, Canada, France

Rating:6.6
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Profile of Apt Pupil

The mood of Apt Pupil is disturbing, tense, and gloomy. The plot centers around psychological motives, murder, and dishonesty. It is a drama, thriller, and horror movie. In approach, Apt Pupil is serious and realistic. The setting is California. It happens in the 1980s. Apt Pupil is based on a book. The movie is known for being an award winner. Note that it includes profanity and violent content.

Summary of Apt Pupil

Based on the novella by Stephen King, director Bryan Singer's follow-up to THE USUAL SUSPECTS is a harrowing psychological thriller about the relationship that forms between a boy and the neighbor he discovers is a Nazi war criminal. 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 the infamous Kurt Dussender (Sir Ian McKellen) has been hiding out, living a normal 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 when a susceptible young mind encounters true evil, leads to a surprising, taught, and unsettling suspense film.

Interested in the novella since he was 19, Singer worked closely with screenwriter Brandon Boyce to bring this compelling story to the screen. Filled with the same touches that are hallmarks of his previous films--careful editing, use of small spaces to evoke tense atmospherics, terrific cinematography, and stellar acting--the film is a disturbing exploration into the seductively dark side of human nature.

Details

Language: English
Country: USA, Canada, France
Release date: October 1998
Runtime: 111 min

Cast and Crew

Ian McKellen as Kurt Dussander in Apt Pupil
Ian McKellen

as Kurt Dussander

Brad Renfro as Todd Bowden in Apt Pupil
Brad Renfro

as Todd Bowden

Photos

Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Apt Pupil (1998)

Clips

Apt Pupil
Apt Pupil: Official Trailer

Critics Reviews

Variety
A creepy, well-acted story of contagious evil, Apt Pupil has more than enough chilling dramatic scenes to rivet the attention but suffers from some hokey contrivances and underlying insufficiencies of motivation.
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  • by: Todd McCarthy
Entertainment Weekly
It's scariest as a parable about the evil that exists in the hearts of adolescent boys.
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  • by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
Likely to see
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