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Apt Pupil (1998)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
23 October 1998 (USA)
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Tagline:
If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn.
Plot:
A boy blackmails his neighbour after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
5 wins
&
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(33 articles)
Bryan Singer snubs X-Men to relaunch Battlestar Galactica
(From The Geek Files. 19 August 2009, 12:29 PM, PDT)
Christopher Nolan drops out of ‘The Prisoner’
(From Reel Loop. 19 August 2009, 8:40 AM, PDT)
(From The Geek Files. 19 August 2009, 12:29 PM, PDT)
Christopher Nolan drops out of ‘The Prisoner’
(From Reel Loop. 19 August 2009, 8:40 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
A psychological thriller
more (239 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Brad Renfro | ... | Todd Bowden | |
| Ian McKellen | ... | Kurt Dussander | |
| Joshua Jackson | ... | Joey | |
| Mickey Cottrell | ... | Sociology Teacher | |
| Michael Reid MacKay | ... | Nightmare Victim | |
| Ann Dowd | ... | Monica Bowden | |
| Bruce Davison | ... | Richard Bowden | |
| James Karen | ... | Victor Bowden | |
| Marjorie Lovett | ... | Agnes Bowden | |
| David Cooley | ... | Gym Teacher | |
| Blake Anthony Tibbetts | ... | Teammate | |
| Heather McComb | ... | Becky Trask | |
| Katherine Malone | ... | Student | |
| Grace Sinden | ... | Secretary | |
| David Schwimmer | ... | Edward French |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
MPAA:
Rated R for scenes of strong violence, language and brief sexuality.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
111 min | Argentina:112 min
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Certification:
South Korea:15 |
Brazil:18 |
USA:R (No. 35516) |
Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) |
Portugal:M/16 |
Argentina:16 |
Australia:MA |
Finland:K-16 |
France:-16 |
Germany:16 |
New Zealand:R16 |
Spain:18 |
Sweden:15 |
Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) |
UK:15 |
Singapore:PG |
Iceland:16 |
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) |
Canada:AA (Ontario)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
One of the pictures of Dussander as during in the years of World War II was actually Heinrich Himmler but was digitally replaced with Ian McKellen's face.
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Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When Todd is walking down the hall to give Kurt Dussander the costume, the dolly track is visible on the floor in the hall.
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Quotes:
Kurt Dussander:
Boy, be careful. You play with fire.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "State of Play: (#1.4)" (2003)
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Soundtrack:
Das Ist Berlin
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (239 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Apt Pupil (1998)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| How much like the book? | Gorgeous_Mistake |
| Confused | C3194 |
| I couldn't finish watching it. | storey_12 |
| A terrible film. | jeremy3 |
| A quick question | Dreamweb1 |
| Dialog at the end | SGJan81 |
Recommendations
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Directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects and both X-Men features), Apt Pupil is a story of adolescent curiosity and evil intentions. Ian McKellen (X-Men) plays the role of an aged, former Nazi soldier living alone in a quiet town with Brad Renfro (Sleepers) as a young, high school teenager in the search of finding the truth about Nazi life in wartime Germany.
Adapted from the Stephen King novella of the same name, Apt Pupil is a psychological thriller with an Alfred Hitchcock-like presence, leaving quite a bit to the viewer's imagination. Much like a game of cards, the action moves back and forth between characters, each trying to take control of one another. While Kurt Dussander (McKellen) wants to keep his past in the past, Todd Bowden (Renfro) keeps probing (and sometimes threatening) to unleash the stories of the reign of Hitler and the torture of the Jews.
While this movie is much like other Stephen King-adapted novels in the sense that it doesn't always translate well to the big screen (with all of the little nuances that made King famous), the superb acting and directing makes Apt Pupil a worthwhile venture into the nature of mental wickedness. Both Singer's vision and McKellen's portrayal of Nazi war criminal bring excitement and intrigue to this movie making it a must-see.