Underplayed Gems

The Stalker's Apprentice (1998)

The Stalker's Apprentice poster
Genre
drama film
Country
United Kingdom
Rating
4.6 of 10 from 7 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A book editor reads a manuscript written by a former serial killer and starts using its methods to commit murders. The story follows both his crimes and the police detective working to catch him.

methodicalcooltensemoodysuspensefulslow-burncerebral

What happens

The Stalker's Apprentice is a single British television crime drama film, based on the novel by author M.S. Power, that was the first broadcast on ITV on 25 May 1998. The film stars Gideon Turner as Marcus Walwyn, a book editor who is driven to murder after reading a draft novel composed by Helmut Kranze (James Bolam), a former serial killer recently released from prison who is writing under a pseudonym. The film follows Walwyn as he embarks on a series of murders relating to Karen Scott (Natalie Walter), a young woman that he meets on the train to work, and the subsequent police investigation by D.I. Maurice Birt (Peter Davison), commander of the local police force. The film co-stars Paula Wilcox, Peter Forbes and Liz May Brice in her breakthrough TV role. An independent review from Movie NZ said of the film; "[it] has a wonderfully methodical cool to it as we watch Gideon Turner, accompanied by a voiceover, putting into use the methodology from the killer's book. However. partway in, The Stalker's Apprentice abruptly becomes a policier as we follow detective Peter Davison and assistant Peter Forbes as they piece clues together. These scenes hold one's attention, although not as absorbingly as the stalker element. Eventually, the film works through a tight plot filled with sharp twists and considerable tension." The film was released on DVD in the United States on 7 March 2006, via Koch Media. A Region 4 release followed on 19 May 2010. The film has yet to be released on Region 2 DVD. The film is often repeated on True Entertainment as part of their semi-regular 'British Thrillers' season. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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