IMDb > Apprentice to Murder (1988)

Apprentice to Murder (1988) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
4.7/10   168 votes
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Director:
Ralph L. Thomas
Writers:
Wesley Moore (writer)
Allan Scott (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Apprentice to Murder on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Mystery more
Tagline:
Was it Magic, Murder, or Madness? more
Plot:
Fire-and-brimstone preacher sees Satan everywhere, trains gullible young boy to "detect" evil, and the... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Almost a Folk Magic Docu-Drama more (5 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Donald Sutherland ... John Reese

Chad Lowe ... Billy Kelly

Mia Sara ... Alice Spangler
Knut Husebø ... Lars Hoeglin

Rutanya Alda ... Elma Kelly
Eddie Jones ... Tom Kelly
Mark Burton ... Clay Myers
Adrian Sparks ... Irwin Myers
Tiger Haynes ... Rufus
Minnie Gentry ... Mam Isobel
Blain Fairman ... Foreman

Mert Hatfield ... Sheriff
Keith Edwards ... Cop 1
Chris Langman ... Patterson
Lars Hiller ... Prouty
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Long Lost Friend (USA) (working title)
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Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
97 min
Country:
Canada | USA | Norway
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
USA:PG-13 | UK:15 | West Germany:16 | Iceland:12
Filming Locations:
Bergen, Hordaland, Norway more
Company:
Hot International A/S more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
Almost a Folk Magic Docu-Drama, 22 September 2007
10/10
Author: catherine yronwode from United States

I love this movie and have recommended it to my students in folk-magic because it is closely based on a true story of murder, mysticism, and (possible) madness concerning a Pennsylvania Dutch Pow Wow doctor in the mid-1920s. Donald Sutherland is superb as John Reese, the highly eccentric conjure and herbalist. Chad Lowe is quite good as his young apprentice. The location shots, filmed in Norway, are spectacular -- not Pennsylvania Dutch country, exactly, but a wonderful rural landscape, with great old 19th century buildings. There is also a very good look at contemporaneous hoodoo practices, as the Pow Wow doctor seeks an outside consultation to cure his ills. If you're a prop and set decoration fan and knowledgeable about magic, look for the couple of Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs (inexplicably called "hexagrams" -- the movie's one false step) that contain Norse bind-runes thrown in on them -- obviously that was the Norwegian prop-maker's little in-joke. This is a great little underrated classic, and the perfect vehicle for Donald Sutherland.

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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
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