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Review by Susan Granger
2½ stars out of 4
Most screen adaptations of Stephen King novellas fall into the
macabre slasher/horror genre, but this evolves into a diabolically
chilling and profoundly disturbing psychological thriller. Adapted by
first-time screenwriter Brandon Boyce and directed by Bryan Singer,
the bizarre story begins in 1984 with a 16 year-old high-school senior
(Brad Renfo) who becomes obsessed with the Holocaust in history class,
spending hours in the library, immersing himself in documents and
photographs. Then, one day, he spots an elderly man (Ian McKellen) on
a bus and recognizes his face from his research. After methodically
acquiring fingerprints and other evidence, he accosts the accused
former SS officer with his conclusions and, over the next few months,
blackmails the mass murderer into graphically reciting the grisly,
gruesome, gory details of his past atrocities in return for preserving
his anonymity. "Boy, be careful," the old man warns. "You play with
fire." And, true to his word, the crafty ex-Gestapo officer engages in
his own duplicity as an insidious, deadly cat-and-mouse game
evolves. As in his previous film, "The Usual Suspects," Singer never
reveals too much about his characters, so you're not sure exactly what
motivates the perverse teenager as the tension mounts. "It's about a
boy who became a very good student but not in the way his teachers and
mother envisioned," concludes the Nazi war criminal. Both Renfro and
McKellen deliver impeccable performances, but exploiting the
Holocaust-related theme may be offensive to some. And, since both
leading characters are ultimately despicable, do you really want to
spend two hours with them? On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Apt
Pupil" is a morbid, sinister 6. If you don't believe in the existence
of evil, you have a lot to learn.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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out of 4
