Review of Apt Pupil (1998) by Forrest J — 02 Feb 2008

What makes Apt Pupil so compelling to me isn't immediately tangible. It's not the script, which is only slightly better than mediocre. It's not the directing, though while certainly professional fails to elevate the film to the level I've come to expect from Bryan Singer in the years since.

To me, the one thing that makes the whole film worthwhile is the psychology, and the portrayal of the relationship between Renfro and McKellen. There are a few moments of genuine beauty in the film, and when Todd forces Dussander to march in his SS uniform there is something truly ominous in the atmosphere. The script may be failing at times, but the starring duo manage splendidly to lift each scene as they portray their characters with persuasive conviction.

The film has been criticized for lack of depth and for trivializing the Holocaust, but I disagree. There is nothing trivializing about the film, and while it may not bring the issues of historic genocide and war to the front, it certainly does not diminish them. This is not a film about the Holocaust, and it does not need to defend itself as such.

This remains one of my all-time favourite films based on a Stephen King story. It's haunting, it's devious and it's wonderful.