> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Wait for the snap in ‘Evil’
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/wait-for-the-snap-in-evil-2/
- Published: 2006-03-10T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:20:45.000Z
- Author: Dan Dunn
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

If you’ve ever wondered what “School Ties” would have been like in Swedish with subtitles, the folks at Magnolia Pictures have got a film for you. “Evil,” director Mikael Hafström’s (“Derailed”) disquieting adaptation of Swedish author Jan Guillou’s 1981 novel, was nominated for an Academy Award in the foreign language category two years ago, and is just now arriving in American theaters.

It’s the story of Erik Ponti (Andreas Wilson), a bright, good-looking kid with anger management issues stemming from the beatings he regularly endures at the hands of his abusive stepfather. After getting tossed from public school for his own violent outbursts, Erik is sent to a prestigious boarding school where he’s determined to set himself on the straight and narrow. The school is controlled by upper-crust upperclassmen whose arbitrary and vicious bullying is not just condoned by administrators, but encouraged. Erik ain’t down with the abuse that the Aryan monsters led by the menacing Silverhielm (Gustaf Skarsgard) are dishing out, and spends the bulk of his time there attempting to resist nonviolently (his nerdy roommate turned him on to Ghandi). That doesn’t work out so well, though.

While guilty of cliché overkill and peddling one-dimensional characters (especially the bad guys), Hafström deserves kudos for a fine job steadily increasing the tension leading up to the inevitable snap. When it happens, there’s a powerful sense of release and relief. Strong performances all around are complemented by technical elements. (Not rated. Running time: 113 minutes)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 10, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031006.pdf?ref=smdp.com)