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Evil

Play trailer Poster for Evil Released May 16, 2003 1h 53m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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68% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Erik Ponti's home life is a nightmare. His abusive stepfather subjects him to systematic beatings while his terrified mother turns a blind eye. When Erik (Andreas Wilson) is expelled from school for pummeling an innocent boy, he is sent to an elite boarding school that seems the picture of tranquility. But the school is run by a brutal group of upperclassmen who routinely beat and humiliate weaker students.

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Evil

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Critics Consensus

Evil's attempts to unpack the causes and effects of violence aren't always successful, but the well-acted end result still has an unsettling impact.

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Critics Reviews

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Ty Burr Boston Globe Extremely watchable, even if it never goes as deep as it should. Rated: 2.5/4 May 5, 2006 Full Review Robert Abele Los Angeles Times Hafstrm's dramatic sense is ... pedestrian and snail's-pace obvious. Rated: 1.5/5 Apr 1, 2006 Full Review Jeff Shannon Seattle Times Movies like Evil entertain us by serving sweet revenge on a platter, and director Mikael Hfstrm manipulates emotions more intelligently than most. Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 31, 2006 Full Review Miles Fielder The List It's a handsomely mounted film that's very cinematic with its visual styling.... And in its lead, model and actor Wilson, Evil has a charismatic and strappingly handsome protagonist. Rated: 3/5 Apr 24, 2019 Full Review Louis Proyect rec.arts.movies.reviews A powerful tale of boarding school repression based on a novel written by a Swede very much in the Stieg Larsson mold. Feb 28, 2012 Full Review Christopher Campbell Cinematical On the surface it seems very familiar ... and not altogether inaccessible to American audiences, but it also has the depth and substance we expect from our imports. Rated: 4/5 Sep 17, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dane B. M If the Americans had any hand (or should I say, 'fist'?) in this we would have seen Rambo blood. This took me by surprise. Expect to be amazed. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/10/24 Full Review Audience Member A boy's boarding school in Sweden where violent discipline is meted out by wicked-hearted upperclassmen is forced to change when a new student rises to the occasion and faces the head bully and his two underlings with conquering ferocity. A David unseats a Goliath and the accepted cruelty at the school. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member The brilliant plot is from Swedish establishment private school environment in the 1950's, where strict hierarchic and fascist traditions rule, but where the main character, Erik Ponti, stands up to the rotten culture, but in his own way. Evil is based on a novel by Jan Guillou, which allegedly is partial self biographical. Cinematographically this is solid Swedish quality, and with generally fine performances, both from some of the best among national actors in the adult roles, but most of all from some of the youngsters in the leading roles. However, other minor performances suffer from slight overacting, perhaps not unexpected from so many young amateurs, but still, this and occasional sloppy dialogue is what keeps this from being outstanding. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Liam D It's a fascinating film what is Evil with a great start to underrated director Mikael Håfström‘s career and was right for a Oscar for best foreign film with great writing and acting Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/20/21 Full Review Audience Member Un sobresaliente estudio sobre la violencia humana, sus orígenes y sus alcances. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Definitely brutal at times. It shows an interesting look into the violent way of boarding schools in Sweden back in the day. Since it's in Swedish and my level isn't fully adapted to see how "bad" the language is, but it was enough. I definitely wouldn't watch this with children. But I may watch it again. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Erik Ponti's home life is a nightmare. His abusive stepfather subjects him to systematic beatings while his terrified mother turns a blind eye. When Erik (Andreas Wilson) is expelled from school for pummeling an innocent boy, he is sent to an elite boarding school that seems the picture of tranquility. But the school is run by a brutal group of upperclassmen who routinely beat and humiliate weaker students.
Director
Mikael Håfström
Producer
Ingemar Leijonborg, Hans Lönnerheden
Screenwriter
Mikael Håfström, Hans Gunnarsson, Jan Guillou
Distributor
Bir Film
Production Co
Moviola Film och Television AB
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Swedish
Release Date (Theaters)
May 16, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 26, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.3K
Runtime
1h 53m
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