Although legendary horror author Stephen King is best known for his classic horror novels such as "Carrie," "The Shining," and "Cujo," the cinematic adaptions of such tales, more often than not, haven't been quite quite up to par -- think of "Children of the Corn," "Pet Cemetery" and "Thinner."
Since it's often difficult to translate full-length novels into decent motion pictures, especially ones delving in standard horror -- a literary genre that works best utilizing the reader's imagination, his offbeat, but incredibly well-written short stories seem to work better. Consequently, the best adaptions of his work have come from his stories that aren't pure horror, such as "Stand By Me" and "The Shawshank Redemption" (based on his novellas, "The Body" and "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" respectively).
Thus, many are understandably interested in how the latest adaption of yet another King novella, "Apt Pupil," turns out. The answer is that it's neither as good nor as bad as the previously mentioned examples of both. A methodically slow psychological thriller, it's lack of much action and traditional Stephen King-based horror may put off some viewers looking just for that. Others, however, may find it to be an interesting match of malevolent wills.
Cutting to the chase right from the onset, the film suffers somewhat from this tactic. While it's clear that director Bryan Singer (fresh off his acclaimed success of "The Usual Suspects") immediately wants to drop the viewer into the psychological melee -- a fact we usually applaud after sitting through many long and often drawn out expository pieces -- the initial character motivation feels rushed and implied here instead of naturally developed.
We never know why Todd Bowden -- an above average kid who seemingly has everything going for him -- would become so obsessed with Nazism (compared to the upcoming "American History X" that perfectly shows how that might happen). While we understand the point the movie tries to make about absolute power corrupting absolutely, that's something that should develop as the story does and not be so casually accepted as a given.
Beyond seeing the boy's class wrapping up its Holocaust discussion and his subsequent library visits (done during the opening credits), there's absolutely nothing to suggest any reason behind his sudden behavior and demeanor.
Had the film showed us his detective work -- staking out, photographing, nabbing fingerprints, and generally observing the man over a short period of time, then the obsession might seem more natural. As it stands, the motivation seems too contrived and misses the golden opportunity to explore what drives so many kids into adopting violent ideologies.
Instead, Singer and screenwriter Brandon Boyce (making his writing debut) are more interested in pure evil as a given, and wish to allow ample opportunities for the experienced and novice sadists to mentally spar. Once again, however, they miss the opportunity to explore what made Nazi's -- and in particular, this one officer -- tick.
While Ian McKellen delivers a stellar performance as the aged torturer, it would have been so much more interesting had he been allowed to demonstrate some conscience amidst his evil. Much debate has been generated over the years about what motivated Nazi actions, and a popular belief is that officers and soldiers simply followed orders upon the belief that their superiors assumed all responsibility.
Unfortunately, none of that's explored here beyond what's superficially presented. Although Dussander subtly conceals his evil and then allows it to slowly percolate once Todd comes along as a catalyst, he does so more for survival than as a result of morals, guilt, or a four decade reflection on what he's done.
Even so, McKellen (the upcoming "Gods and Monsters," and an Emmy nominee for TV's "Rasputin") creates a memorable character that may just earn him an outside shot at a Best Supporting Oscar nomination. Although some may complain that McKellen occasionally overacts a bit, I found his performance appropriately creepy, subdued and always compelling.
Brad Renfro ("The Client," "Sleepers") is okay in his role, but is unfortunately hampered by that lack of completely believable and/or plausible behavior. Had the filmmakers given his character a bit more depth (or at least more exposition about him), Renfro would have been much better and the film's mental chess match would have been more enjoyable and easier to accept. As it stands -- no matter how brilliant Bowden is supposed to be -- you never get the feeling that he has a chance against the seasoned, manipulative expert.
Supporting performances are decent, with Michael Byrne delivering a chilling performance as a Holocaust survivor, and David Schwimmer (despite eliciting a few giggles from the audience upon on his first appearance), does a decent job playing somewhat against his nerdy character from TV's "Friends" (that's quickly starting to pigeonhole him).
Although the story gets a bit out of control toward the end, and needs a big dose of suspension of disbelief to buy into that notion that Bowden could identify the old Nazi forty years later (along with another man late in the story) and after a worldwide manhunt failed to find him, for the most part it's an interesting psychological battle.
Had it delivered a more thorough (or even any) examination of the motives behind the two combatants, the film would have been much better, but as it stands, it's still an interesting piece with a great performance from Ian McKellen. We give "Apt Pupil" a 6 out of 10.