Apt Pupil

There are several Stephen King novels that have turned into movies. The most notable of them being Frank Darabont's directorial debut Shawshank Redemption. After viewing Apt Pupil, I'm of the audience that believes that fewer of them should be translated to film. Translating his mysterious horror stories have become an enigma. This resulting product is either great or poor. The middle ground doesn't really exist for Stephen King films. Apt Pupil furthers this sentiment.

One thing did impress me about Bryan Singer's follow up to The Usual Suspects: Ian McKellan's performance. When McKellan is on the screen he gives the movie an eerie feeling that is quite welcome. Unfortunately, when he isn't the focus of attention, and Brad Renfro gets that honor, the movie becomes tedious. Brad Renfro's character has some fascination with Nazi Germany. He reads mountains of books on the subject, learns their rituals, and fills his mind with facts about the Nazi regime. When visiting his neighbors, he stumbles upon a mysterious person who he thinks is hiding something. It becomes his job to find out what that is.

It sounds intriguing and for a while it is. The first act of the film is pretty good at setting up the eventual result of the film. We meet the characters with some moody atmosphere and introductions. Unfortunately that's about as far as the film gets. The rest, save for a few specific scenes, is dreadfully monotonous. The tension is mysteriously not there.

There are some truly golden scenes, and they all seem to focus on McKellan's acting ability. Singer, at these times, skillfully handles the moment, letting us into the mind of McKellan's Nazi character. The look on McKellan's face after realization of the identity of another man laying next to him is one of sheer terror. It's one of those times where you're allowed to see why McKellan is one of the best actors working today.

Sophomore slump? Could be. Let's hope Singer recovers in time for his next project, and shows us once again why he should be one young director we should keep an eye on.

On a scale of 1 to 10 manipulating teenagers : 4