Apt Pupil (1998)

Seeing a feeble, elderly man being blackmailed by a ruthless teenager is one thing. When the elderly chap turns out to be a former Nazi prison camp officer in hiding, it's quite another. It's difficult to choose sides in this game of intimidation, mostly because both sides are utterly despicable. But those with a strong tolerance for darkly intense drama will find that Bryan Singer's follow-up to The Usual Suspects is a twisting, disturbingly compelling masterstroke. Ian McKellen does some brilliant work here as a fugitive criminal, but this is really the late Brad Renfro's show as the manipulative youth. And watching the two square off in their battle of wits is heart-stopping in its intensity. Much of the rest of the film manages to keep up with a little help from a subtle but effective score and a sure-handed, even pace. There's really very little not to like here, but it's certainly not a film for everyone. It's probably safe to say that folks who are offended by using such an emotional subject as Nazis and the Holocaust for the purposes of fiction should probably stay clear. But anyone else looking for some powerful, jolting drama should certainly seek this gem out.

9 out of 10.