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Apt Pupil

R Released Sep 16, 1998 1h 51m Drama TRAILER for List
54% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A high-school student (Brad Renfro) forms an unhealthy relationship with a former Nazi death-camp officer (Ian McKellen).
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Apt Pupil

Apt Pupil

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Critics Consensus

A somewhat disturbing movie that works as a suspenseful thriller, yet isn't completely satisfying.

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Critics Reviews

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Globe and Mail Rated: 2/4 Apr 24, 2002 Full Review Susan Stark Detroit News Major junk! Rated: 1/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Jay Carr Boston Globe Apt Pupil is most compelling for its moral dimension. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast It lacks the bite of King's novella, but the film adaptation of 'Apt Pupil' skates by on the talents of its two lead actors. Rated: 3/5 Oct 23, 2023 Full Review Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast It's become impossible to separate the art from the artist when it comes to alleged rapist Bryan Singer and this film. From the assaults that purportedly took place during filming to the framing of Brad Renfro's underage body, this is a hard watch Rated: 2.5/5 Oct 19, 2023 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault McKellen gives one of the year's great performances. Rated: A Jul 23, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member The movie drags a little longer than it should and also the plot does not keep you interested after a while. Nothing to think twice about. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/09/24 Full Review Jeffrey P Kinda dated, released over twenty-five years ago and WWII Nazis aren't all that relevant anymore. The dynamic involved, an old Nazi and his relationship with a high school aged boy, is just an odd watch that had no deeper meaning or lesson to be learned. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/25/24 Full Review Audience Member I feel like they marketed the movie wrong. I was expecting a thriller leaning closer to horror and it was leaning towards more of a drama for me. Brad renfro was great in it though! Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/19/24 Full Review Peter G The novella APT PUPIL from a Stephen King collection DIFFERENT SEASONS is by turns, disturbing, absorbing, & unpleasant, but the ironic thing regarding the film is that it is more effective, IMO, by playing down some of the more atrocious elements in King‘s otherwise involving narrative. No spoilers from me here so one would have to experience both the story & the film to compare the relative eventual impact that is presented. Singer‘s film is in many ways a bit more subtle than the short book it's taken from & what I gather King accepted the changes Singer made. It's a worthy follow up to Singer‘s THE USUAL SUSPECTS but the imaginative construct of that film is both more novel & original. Still. I feel, APT PUPIL, rather underrated, holds considerable merit & both McKellen & Renfro add greatly to its effective atmosphere. John Ottman who edited & scored both films contributes a musical score that without viewing the credits is instantly recognizable as from the composer of THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/11/24 Full Review Valeria M Oggi si potrebbe fare un film completamente aderente al racconto di King, ma questo film è una trasposizione eccellente che allude laddove non si poteva esplicitare. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/10/23 Full Review James V Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro should be enough to carry this character driven story, but the stakes feel small and it's not well directed. Should have been a hit with the material and acting power in the movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Apt Pupil

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A high-school student (Brad Renfro) forms an unhealthy relationship with a former Nazi death-camp officer (Ian McKellen).
Director
Bryan Singer
Producer
Don Murphy, Bryan Singer
Screenwriter
Stephen King, Brandon Boyce
Distributor
TriStar Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
TriStar Pictures, Bad Hat Harry, Phoenix Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 16, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.8M
Runtime
1h 51m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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