APT PUPIL

Director: Bryan Singer

Starring: Ian McKellan, Brad Renfro, Bruce Davison

A young man discovers a former Nazi living in his town.

Bryan Singer, director of the first two X-Men films and The Usual Suspects, delivers a thought-provoking adaptation of Stephen King’s uncharacteristic story. The film’s pacing is patchy, but is the price paid for some engrossing dialogue-heavy scenes. Although the film eventually wanders off at an unlikely tangent, it’s never less than compelling, and Singer is careful never to present the film’s ethical dilemmas in a clear-cut way. Columbia’s new disc presents the film in widescreen (2.35:1) ratio, with 16:9 enhancement. The film’s 5.1 sound mix is polished but strictly functional. The disc features the film’s theatrical trailer, and a six-minute featurette, which contains precious little behind-the-scenes footage. The lack of commentary track is regrettable, since McKellan and Singer’s insights would have been very welcome.