In 1984, in a small American town, Todd Bowden, Brad Renfro, is a keen student - that is until a school assignment on The Holocaust changes his life forever. While researching the grim subject in the local library, he sees a photograph of a wanted Nazi war criminal, and recognises him - Dussander, Ian McKellen, who lives not far from Todd`s house. Confronting the reclusive old man with evidence of his true identity, Todd forces him to reveal what really happened in the concentration camps.
It`s been a long wait for Bryan Singer`s follow-up to The Usual Suspects, but in a way it`s understandable that Apt Pupil, made in 1997, should have taken so long to get to us. This chilling examination of the insidiousness of evil isn`t a conventional thriller by any means, even though its source is a story by Stephen King. Singer boldly - and for the most part very successfully - takes us into tantalisingly controversial areas, makes us co-conspirators in a most unusual horror story. Ian McKellen is superb as the lonely old Nazi who seems only too pleased to be able to talk frankly, for once in his life, about his dreadful past, and Brad Renfro is also fine as the boy who finds himself gradually corrupted by his contact with genuine evil.
Margaret`s Comment
It`s interesting that this film has its derivations in the same book of Stephen King stories as Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption and it`s not as good as either, despite the obvious talent of director Bryan Singer. In contrast after The Usual Suspects one suspects that with this film Bryan Singer is very much at the mercy of his screenplay, as are all directors, regardless of whether they write them themselves. I actually found Ian McKellen a bit over the top in his performance and Brad Renfro I found dreary, so it was difficult to actually get into the psyche of the characters, and really that`s what this film`s about. Where actually does this film take us? Into the same territory as 8MM, where we discover the contaminating power of evil. Well, if either film were done with insight or even excitement then one might be more inclined to go along for the ride but to lead us into the absurd when dealing with the background of the Holocaust, despite Life is Beautiful, left a slightly bad taste in my mouth. Craft is not in doubt with Singer, his choice of material is.
