Apt Pupil backdrop
Apt Pupil poster

APT PUPIL

1998 FR HMDB
October 23, 1998

One day in 1984, Todd Bowden, a brilliant high school boy fascinated by the history of Nazism, stumbles across an old man whose appearance resembles that of Kurt Dussander, a wanted Nazi war criminal. A month later, Todd decides to knock on his door.

Directors

Bryan Singer

Cast

Brad Renfro, Ian McKellen, Bruce Davison, Elias Koteas, Joe Morton, Jan Tříska, Michael Byrne, Heather McComb, Ann Dowd, Joshua Jackson
Dramma Thriller

REVIEWS (1)

MC

Marco Castellini

A young student accidentally recognizes a former SS officer on a bus who has been hiding for years. The curious boy goes to talk to the elderly man and decides to blackmail him: he won't report him if he tells him in detail the tortures he inflicted on the Jews in the concentration camps. But the game becomes increasingly complex and everything ends in tragedy. Based on King's bestseller titled "A Smart Kid" and directed by Brian Singer (who rose to worldwide fame with "The Usual Suspects"), the film partly disappoints by failing to convey the depth of the characters created by King in his novel. Excellent the performances of young Brad Fenfro and veteran Jan McKellen, but more could and should have been expected.