Review of Apt Pupil (1998) by Luke B — 23 Apr 2009
Apt Pupil has some really great ideas and some fascinating characters. It's a shame that the script doesn't revel in it's strengths. Renfro and McKellen make a fearsome double act. They have great chemistry, each taking turn as mentor and student.
The balance of power shifts often and realistically. This great chemistry seems to come from nowhere. Instead we get a One Month Later title card. This avoids a chance for some great development. The film also cuts corners, mainly in the outing of McKellen.
Renfro just seems to recognise him from pictures . The end relies on a very big coincidence, of McKellen being put in a hospital bed, next to a man whose family he had killed. They somehow managed to come to the exact same town, in the same country, and end up in the same hospital, in the same room at the same time.
It feels like a rushed and thoughtless ending. There's so much interesting stuff to explore here, with Renfro's future looming, and McKellen's past catching up, there is so much material that could be covered.
Hopefully will become a TV series one day, as that would be the perfect medium.
This review of Apt Pupil (1998) was written by Luke B on 23 Apr 2009.
Apt Pupil has generally received mixed reviews.
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