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Apt Pupil
Sony Pictures Entertainment / Tristar Pictures
FILM:
MPAA RATING: R for scenes of strong violence, language and brief sexuality
Starring
Ian McKellen,
Brad Renfro,
Bruce Davison,
Elias Koteas,
David Schwimmer,
Joshua Jackson,
Mickey Cottrell,
and
Michael Reid MacKay
A dark drama about a sixteen-year-old honor student who recognizes an old man living in his hometown as a hunted Nazi. Compelled to reveal the secrets of his death camp past to earn the boy's silence, the German fugitive derives a sinister scheme to implicate the teenager in a dangerous psychological game. (Sony)
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
Suspense/Thriller
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Brandon Boyce
Stephen King (novel)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Bryan Singer
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: April 13, 1999
Video: October 5, 1999
Theatrical: October 23, 1998
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
111 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA / Canada / France |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
80
Dallas Observer
Jean Oppenheimer
This brutal film borders on the brilliant. Beautifully structured and edited, with a chilling central performance by Ian McKellen and an exceptional score by John Ottman, who also edited the picture, it churns up emotions and leaves the viewer feeling stunned and depleted.
80
Empire
Kim Newman
Not all the plot developments ring true, but moments carry a real chill - even in a coma, McKellen can terrify a fellow patient almost to death - and it has more than enough thought-provoking material to command your interest.
75
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
It's scariest as a parable about the evil that exists in the hearts of adolescent boys.
75
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
Brought off with such skill and commitment that there isn't any time to snicker at its obviousness.
70
The New York Times
Elvis Mitchell
Both actors play their roles so trickily that tensions escalate until the horror grows unimaginatively gothic.
70
Chicago Reader
Lisa Alspector
Largely free of generic horror-movie elements, such as exploitative torture and murder scenes. Those it does contain draw attention to the difference between the conventions of psychological drama and those of pulp horror.
67
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
It's not perfect King, but it is jarringly close, which these days remains pretty much all one could hope for.
60
Los Angeles Times
Jack Mathews
Despite the riveting performances of Renfro and McKellen, we're left with classic horror-movie sociopaths, evil-doers without conscience, or much to say about the nature of evil.
60
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
Do director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Brandon Boyce really mean to suggest that the roots of genocide lie in homosexual desire?
60
Variety
Todd McCarthy
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.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rick Groen
No matter how you judge it -- as a strict morality play or simply a psychological thriller -- Apt Pupil just doesn't make the grade.
50
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
When bodies are buried in cellars and cats are thrown into lighted ovens, the film reveals itself as unworthy of its subject matter.
50
Newsweek
David Ansen
In the end, artifice overwhelms art. Apt Pupil is too serious to work as a genre movie, and too contrived to be taken seriously. [12 October 1998]
50
Film Threat
Merle Bertrand
A creepy, if disjointed exploration of the nature of evil. But compared to its predecessor, it's also a bit of a disappointment.
50
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
Perhaps the most disappointing thing about Apt Pupil is the lack of sustained tension generated by director Bryan Singer.
50
Washington Post
Michael O'Sullivan
Scares, to be sure, which is certainly one promise on which it delivers. But the film offers little insight into what it seems to be saying is essentially a mundane fact of life: When one devil leaves the world, there is always another one waiting just outside the door.
50
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
This sensationalistic tale doesn't delve very far into the issues it raises.
40
Washington Post
Stephen Hunter
Ultimately the movie disintegrates due to its own clumsiness. It's far too coincidence-driven to be believable.
30
LA Weekly
Ella Taylor
Heartless piece of ill will.
30
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Keith Phipps
McKellen is fine, of course, but the film as a whole offers about as much insight into evil as Ming The Merciless in a “Flash Gordon” serial.
30
The New Yorker
David Denby
Overwrought and unpleasant nonsense.
 The average user rating for this movie is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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