Apt Pupil
1998 · Movie · R · 107 min · ★ 6.6 · 52% critics
A bright high school student becomes fascinated with Nazi history and believes he has found a war criminal living nearby. Instead of exposing him, he draws the older man into a tense and troubling relationship built on blackmail, secrets, and growing corruption.
Based on Apt Pupil
Also known as L'élève doué · Golden Boy
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Details
- Years
- 1998
- Release date
- 1998-10-23
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Critic score
- 52/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.6/10 (723 votes)
- Budget
- $14,000,000
About
You may like this if you want a dark, disturbing character study with strong performances and a tense relationship at its center; Not for you if you prefer lighter stories or fast-paced thrills, and it may appeal if you liked The Shawshank Redemption or Stand By Me.
Pros: strong central performances; tense dark premise; unsettling atmosphere | Cons: slow pacing; uneven character depth; undercooked impact
Themes
- high school
- based on novel or book
- secret identity
- troubled teen
- nazism
- 1980s
- school counselor
- nazi war criminal
- gay theme
Awards & recognition
- Critics' Choice Movie Award — Best Actor · 1998
Cast & crew
Brad Renfro
as Todd Bowden
Ian McKellen
as Kurt Dussander
Bruce Davison
as Richard Bowden
Elias Koteas
as Archie
Joe Morton
as Dan Richler
David Schwimmer
as Edward French
Jan Tříska
as Isaac Weiskopf
Michael Byrne
as Ben Kramer
Ann Dowd
as Monica Bowden
Heather McComb
as Becky Trask
Directed by Bryan Singer