The Stalker’s
Apprentice (British Telefilm)
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: D Telefilm: B-
The many serial killer projects in the 1990s have turned
out to be much more forgettable than even those producing them realized, but
the 1998 British telefilm The Stalker’s Apprentice holds up well enough
to be looked at. The story has a twist
where the young killer (an effective Gideon Turner) is literally following the
playbook of the unpublished and supposedly fictional book by a writer (James
Bolan) who turns out to be a former killer himself.
Enter the detective (Peter Davidson) who wants to get to
the bottom of the murders and is very good at his job. However, he has no idea about the
motivations and this becomes as much a mystery and police procedural as any
kind of tired killer on the loose work.
All in all, this is a very tight and smart 76 minutes worth your time.
The 1.66 X 1 image is another one of those British TV
productions splitting the difference between traditional 1.33 X 1 and 1.78 X 1
when no one was certain where TV was going with High Definition. The colors are consistent and print is in
good shape, but there are detail limits, though it is shot well. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has Pro Logic
surrounds and is not bad in the soundfield department. There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
