FFWD Weekly
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| FILM Apt Pupil If it's true the face of evil is utterly banal, then Brad Renfro deserves a special Oscar for this one. This kid has one blank, unblinking, gape-mouthed expression suitable for all occasions. Just discovered your neighbor's a Nazi? Just blackmailed a man who sent thousands to their death? Just twanged Elias Koteas in the face with a shovel? Stare blankly! Though hats off to the casting director, I guess. Here's one singularly unappealing character played by one singularly unappealing actor. Snotty and pouty and without a shred of charisma (or even youthful pep - is he flirting with pure evil or a case of mononucleosis?), Renfro either steals the show or kills it, depending on your mood and your tolerance for dull guys in mid-'80s feathered hairdos. (Personally, I was hoping the old guy would push him down the basement stairs, and any time you find yourself rooting for the Nazi, questions must be raised.) The plot is fairly predictable in part because the ad for Apt Pupil runs roughly 2,930 times a day, but mostly because it's based on a Stephen King novella, so you know it's about Unspeakable Horror Living Right Next Door In Small Town America That Unleashes The Evil Within Us All. Director Bryan Singer's last film (The Usual Suspects) relied on sharp dialogue, terrific performances and clever plot twists to entertain, none of which are in great abundance here. The three or four genuinely creepy moments in Apt Pupil mostly come from cheap gimmicks, like the time the Nazi Neighbor tries to stuff a cat in the oven. Pretty subtle, huh? Yet after many slow, stilted scenes between Renfro and Ian McKellen, and some shiny lighting effects that make Apt Pupil look like a floor wax commercial, patience is rewarded with a genuinely disturbing ending. My advice? Take small sips from your coffee. Make it last. You'll need to stay awake longer. And blink lots. |