Apt Pupil Poster

Apt Pupil (1998)

Crime | Thriller 
Rayting:   6.7/10 36.2K votes
Country: USA | France
Language: English | German
Release date: 20 May 1999

A boy blackmails his neighbor after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal.

Movie Trailer

Where to Watch

  • Buy
  • Buy
  • Buy

User Reviews

david_blakemore 26 January 2004

I know that there are some people who don't like this film for whatever reason, all I can say is that I think it's a superb film, and I don't think Bryan Singer has made a better then this, (This includes Usual suspets and X-men).

I thing I love anout this film is that it gets under your skin, which not every film can do, and the story as well. Ok it is unlikely that you will reconise someone from a 40 year old photo. It has to be said though that the story is excellent, and this is one of my favourite films.

gbheron 21 May 2002

Fmovies: With a few notable non-scary exceptions ("Stand By Me" and "The Shawshank Redemption"), Stephen King hasn't had much luck having his written work translated to the silver (or small) screen. And as one of today's most prolific and popular novelists, much of his work has been adapted. Not that I've seen all of it, far from it. But most of what I've seen has disappointed. Add to the list of disappoints, "Apt Pupil".

The horror in this film is not supernatural, but psychological. It chronicles the improbable story of a young teen who discovers that an elderly neighbor is an ex-Nazi death camp commander. Instead of dropping a dime on the old butcher, he blackmails him! And not for money, but for his insight, insight into the nature of evil. And this from a 14-year old? The story didn't wash.

The movie is created well, with decent acting, but the direction seemed to wander. At times I felt that the movie was taking a creepy, dark turn to plumb the depths of human depravity, then it would skip off into something more akin to a murder mystery. Sort of schizophrenic, as if the director wasn't quite sure of the type of movie he was making. I wouldn't recommend this movie.

Platypuschow 27 March 2018

This critically acclaimed multi award winning Stephen King adaptation is a weird creature, a dark thriller tale which makes you question the definition of evil.

It tells the story of a boy who discovers that a neighbour is an infamous war criminal, a high ranking nazi responsible for the deaths of countless people. He decides to blackmail him, he is fascinated and wants to know more about the nazi history. But the more he learns the more he takes a turn for the worse and the mind games between the man and boy escalate.

Not only is Apt Pupil dark and highly thought provoking but its also oddly homoerotic, heavy undertones from several different sources and I cannot figure out for the life of me why these were included.

The cast is stellar and really helps the film, full of veterans like Ian McKellen, Bruce Davison, James Karen & Elias Koteas. Also along for the ride we have Joshua Jackson and Friends alumni David Schwimmer.

Despite this cast and despite it being a King adaptation I don't see the grand appeal. It's not a terrible movie it's just poorly executed and difficult viewing in places. As a psychological thriller it delivers and is very thought provoking. As nearly 2hrs of entertainment it kind of fails (For me anyway)

The Good:

Outstanding cast

Great concept

The Bad:

Deeply uncomfortable viewing

Unnecessarily homoerotic

Some of the movie defies logic somewhat

Many cast members are badly wasted as barely on screen

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

David Schwimmer with a moustache looks like someone who shouldn't be trusted alone with children, or animals, or even remotely sexy looking fruit

73yrs since they surrendered and 20yrs since this film and Nazi's are not only still a thing but going strong, this is a terrifying fact.

Wizard-8 19 April 1999

Apt Pupil fmovies. I read the novella in high school, and I found it scary, disturbing, and a real grabber - I couldn't put it down until I was done.

As for the movie version, I'm sorry to say it doesn't work. While there have been much worse Stephen King adaptations, this is still pretty weak. Someone else here said it's been sugarcoated, and I agree. It's been watered down so much, that character's actions that were easy to understand in the book become "Whaa - why did he do that?" here. The ending is the worst part - though I can understand why they may not have been able to recreate the novella's original ending onscreen, couldn't they have thought of a new ending that was better than the one they used here?

The acting is good, one of the few things that works here.

In short: if you have read the novella, do NOT watch this movie - you'll be horrified in a way the filmmakers didn't intend. The positive comments here seem to come from people who haven't read the novella. I still wouldn't recommend this movie even for non-readers, but if you must watch this movie, I strongly urge you to read the novella after you've seen the movie. It'll really open your eyes (in more ways than one), and you'll see how much better the movie could have been.

eo5 27 June 1999

This film is not for the light of heart or of mind. The story is about a boy who learns that a Nazi war criminal is living right in his metaphoric backyard. Obsessed with learning more than just what they teach you in school, the boy sets off on a journey to discover "How did it feel?" The writing, based on a novella by Stephen King, takes you through the minds of both the boy and the Nazi. It's a battle of wits with real people being the pawns. This movie will mess with your mind. Do not watch it if you aren't up to the challenge. My hat goes off to Brandon Boyce and Bryan Singer, the writer and director, respectively, who seem to have interwoven the story and the audience. Never have I witnessed such an excellent display of psychological warfare.

ReelCheese 19 November 2006

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.

Similar Movies

5.6
Memory

Memory 2022

6.0
Valimai

Valimai 2022

5.7
Windfall

Windfall 2022

5.8
Restless

Restless 2022

6.9
The Bezonians

The Bezonians 2021

8.6
Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana

Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana 2021

6.2
Yara

Yara 2021

7.6
Sunny

Sunny 2021


Share Post

Direct Link

Markdown Link (reddit comments)

HTML (website / blogs)

BBCode (message boards & forums)

Watch Movies Online | Privacy Policy
Fmovies.guru provides links to other sites on the internet and doesn't host any files itself.