Bad Apples is likely to appear on your cinema screen after you’ve seen an advert for “Get Into Teaching”, at which point put-upon primary school teacher Maria Spencer (Saoirse Ronan – See How They Run) is doing her fruit over the hassles from one or two in her class, but mostly, the majorly annoying Danny (Eddie Waller).
He won’t sit down and behave in class, tells other pupils where to go, and eventually gets suspended after causing serious injury to one of them. So, less ‘annoying’ and more ‘complete psycho’.
Also dealing with relationship issues with fellow teacher Sam (Jacob Anderson – Doctor Who: Flux), Maria’s been trying to get across the situation to his Dad, Josh (Robert Emms – The Choral), but his attention is elsewhere with his demanding parcel delivery job.
However, while out and about, she chances across Danny while he’s smashing cars up, ends up grappling with him, knocks him out, tries to take him to A&E – except they’re too busy, and inadvertently locks him in her basement…. as you do.
Of course, it’s completely improbable that such a situation would come to a teacher effectively kidnapping a pupil, then carrying on – almost as normal – while everyone’s searching for him, including his Dad, who’s beside himself. That said, not many of the other pupils are missing Danny…
Well, it might actually help with the upcoming Ofsted visit, as they come to rate the school(!)
However, while Bad Apples is a film that could completely jump the shark at that point, somehow, it just works and it’s brilliant, and that’s largely down to the acting and sparring between Ms Ronan, Mr Waller and Nia Brown as fellow classmate, Pauline. The directing and writing also have a hand in this, obviously, but then of course, the whole thing could’ve been avoided if she’d alerted the police to Danny when he was remonstrating with the aforementioned vehicles š
This also made me want to check out the original film, since I assumed this was a remake, as it’s based upon the novel, De Oƶnskade by Rasmus Lindgren, but nope, it’s just a novel! No film. One of those book things with pages. I wonder if they’ll catch on?
NOTE: There are is a post-credit scene, as per the video below.
Bad Apples is in cinemas now, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. However, once announced, it will appear on the New DVD Blu-ray 3D and 4K releases UK list.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 100 minutes
Release date: September 18th 2026
Studio: Paramount Pictures UK
Aspect Ratio: 1.85
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 9/10
Director: Jonatan Etzler
Screenplay: Jess O’Kane
Novel: Rasmus Lindgren (“De Oƶnskade” aka “The Unwanted”)
Producers: Oskar Pimlott
Music: Chris Roe
Cast:
Maria Spencer: Saoirse Ronan
Danny: Eddie Waller
Pauline: Nia Brown
Sam: Jacob Anderson
Sylvia: Rakie Ayola
Olivia: Serena Ram
Josh: Robert Emms
Frank: Sean Gilder
PC Williams: Kerry Howard
PC Chadwick: Euan Shanahan
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.