2:31 | Trailer
A boy blackmails his neighbor after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal.
Director:
Bryan Singer
From metacritic.com
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Title: Apt Pupil (1998)
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6 wins & 6 nominations.
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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 | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Neighborhood boy Todd Bowden (Renfro) discovers that an old man living on his block named Arthur Denker (Mackellan) is Nazi war criminal. Bowden confronts Denker and offers him a deal: Bowden will not go to the authorities if Denker tells him stories of the concentration camps in WWII. Denker agrees and Bowden starts visiting him regularly. The more stories Bowden hears, the more it affects his personality. Written by Casey Ward <ward@citizen.infi.net>
Taglines:
If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn.Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for scenes of strong violence, language and brief sexuality | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Release Date:
23 October 1998 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El aprendiz See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$14,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$3,583,151, 25 October 1998, Wide ReleaseGross USA:
$8,838,938, 3 January 1999Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.39 : 1
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Kurt Dussander: It was something that had to be done. A door had been opened and couldn't be shut. It was the end... You don't understand.
See more »
Written by Paul Nelson, Sue Fink & Carl Verheyen
Performed by Dante Marchi
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Editor and Composer John Ottman did two cameos in the film, but both were cut. The first was reading the lines of the off-screen teacher, but his voicing of lines was substituted at the last minute by Christopher McQuarrie. He also had a cameo as the music teacher, conducting the high-school band in the graduation scene, but this was eliminated from the final cut. See more »Goofs
When Todd gives Danker(Dussander) the uniform, he is wearing a blue sweater over a red shirt. Minutes later when Danker comes down stairs wearing the uniform, Todd's sweater is missing and he's just in the red polo. See more »Quotes
Todd Bowden: [about the killings at the death camps] What did it feel like?Kurt Dussander: It was something that had to be done. A door had been opened and couldn't be shut. It was the end... You don't understand.
See more »
Soundtracks
Too Much Of NothingWritten by Paul Nelson, Sue Fink & Carl Verheyen
Performed by Dante Marchi
See more »
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A teenage boy befriends an elderly man. During countless discussions over many a night, they form a special friendship that manages to bridge their considerable age gap. It would sound like a sweet character study if the old man wasn't a Nazi war criminal and the teen wasn't a Holocaust-obsessed recluse blackmailing his new pal for all the gory details.
APT PUPIL scores the highest marks for originality. Nothing ever quite like this has been done before, and it's all quite intriguing. In the beginning, we come close to feeling sorry for the old man despite his past misdeeds. Here is he living out his golden years in peace and seclusion when all of a sudden a pushy teenager threatens to blow his cover. As the tale progresses, we see that the elder is just as conniving as the boy, threatening simply to expose their friendship, forever linking the young man with unimaginable notoriety. What starts out as a bizarre acquaintance escalates into a duel of manipulation.
It's not surprising that APT PUPIL is based on a novella by Stephen King. The film bears many of the hallmarks of King's works. And while it's never actually scary, it is thrilling at a psychological level that King reaches best. It's not perfect, but with the skilled direction of Bryan Singer and solid performances by leads Brad Renfro and Ian McKellen, it generally accomplishes what it sets out to do.
You don't have to be a horror person or a teenager at a late night party to enjoy APT PUPIL. The film has a unique appeal beyond what its target audience may have been. If you missed it when it was released in 1998 (as many did, based on its limited commercial success), it's certainly worth a look.