more than a good adaptation, it is a real useful history lesson. about Nazi regime. about the temptation of the evil. and about teenagers. like each Stephen King adaptation, it is far to be the expected one. nuances, details are lost. but the message becomes more clear and dark. because it has the chance of a good director and perfect actors. because Ian McKellen explores in wise manner entire potential of his character. and Brad Renfro redefine the portrait of typical teenager, the passion about a subject, the curiosity, the conversion in part of chosen theme. story of confrontation, with equal forces, it is one of the most useful films for a young man to understand the essence of totalitarian regime. and that does it more than a good film.

Apt. Pupil (1998): Dir: Bryan Singer / Cast: Ian McKellen, Brad Renfro, David Schwimmer, Bruce Davison, Elias Koteas: Film contains one alarming scene where a kid orders a Nazi to uniform himself and march until tension builds to a halt. The kid is the Apt. pupil and the lesson is control but what does he hope to accomplish? He shows up on the Nazi's doorstep and blackmails with supposed files. Eventually the Nazi tries to roast a cat in the oven while the kid mashes a broken winged pigeon with a basketball. Chilling work by director Bryan Singer who also made The Usual Suspect. Violent outcome with pointless scenes such as the kid's failed grades and the Nazi poising as his grandfather. Then a begger lands in his basement with a knife in his back. With the Nazi's heart failure, the kid bludgeons the begger with a shovel. Ian McKellen is strong as the Nazi who attempts to gain control over this situation only to run into greater conflicts. Brad Renfro is unreadable as the deranged kid who obviously lacks proper discipline. David Schwimmer is miscast as the principal who is also subjected to blackmail. Bruce Davison is cardboard as Renfro's father who will not likely receive any Father of the Year award. Elias Koteas plays a homeless guy subjected to murder and a cover-up. The theme is control, which eluded the screenwriter. Score: 3 ½ / 10

"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 a simple story about a disturbed teenage boy living in urban Los Angeles. When he discovers that a neighbor of his is a war criminal who used to run a Nazi concentration camp, he can't resist blackmailing the poor old man. However as the film develops the old man begins to turn the tables on the boy and starts blackmailing him instead. A sort of psychological game develops between the two and along with it, an odd, scary friendship. Apt Pupil was originally written by Stephen King but in my opinion, the film is superior to the novel, which I feel is excessively violent and gratuitous in how it described rape, torture, murder and killing sprees. The novel may have done a better job of describing a psychotic mind, but Apt Pupil goes to the trouble of developing said mind and showing how a child loses his innocence and deteriorates into this sociopathic shell. I also like how the film portrayed Dussander as a sympathetic character at first, although I felt the book did that aspect better. Dussander is ashamed of himself for what he has done but as the film goes on, his mind, too, starts to lose itself and he starts to embrace nazism. This film itself is just plain scary in its depiction of human nature and what we're all capable of. Apt Pupil won't be liked by many because it requires an attention span, a tolerance of disturbing and dark material, and an imagination to appreciate. People who dislike this film are missing the point. It's a wonderful story of a partnership between two individuals who each have their demons that they must face, along with some deadly secrets that could cripple their existence. This film is spellbinding and dazzling. If you can take what it dishes out, you will love it. If you have a faint heart, go watch something else. But if you want to learn how two men blackmail each other and how ultimately their plan fails, watch this movie for the psychology of it. The direction by Bryan Singer is superb and the camera-work creates some of the most powerful and tragic scenes in recent memory. The part where the man in the hospital recognizes Dussander is gut-wrenching alone. This is an amazing film. If you want to look into the darkness inside yourself, watch this movie, and then contemplate it. You'd be surprised what you are capable of.