Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Evil

      Released May 16, 2003 1h 53m Drama List
      68% 38 Reviews Tomatometer 87% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score 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. Read More Read Less

      Where to Watch

      Evil

      Prime Video

      Rent Evil on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

      Evil

      What to Know

      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.

      Read Critics Reviews

      Critics Reviews

      View All (38) Critics Reviews
      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

      View All (547) audience reviews
      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 adam a A story can be done to death, but a story can also be done very well, and here it is! Dramatic and if not occasionally delivered by wit! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 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 Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      40% 65% Lost Angels 91% 83% King of the Hill 30% 68% One Eight Seven 82% 86% Tsotsi 77% 73% The Mudge Boy Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Exclusive: Mikael Håfström steps into 1408 with RT. Cusack Checks In to King’s "1408"

      Photos

      View All Evil photos

      Evil

      Evil (2003) Evil (2003) Evil (2003) View more photos

      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
      Kim Magnusson
      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
      Most Popular at Home Now