Share this
This review was made possible by an advance screener of The Apprentice. The Apprentice premieres in theaters nationwide on Friday, October 11th.
With this year being an election year, I want this review to be about the film itself and not the current political climate. Any judgement on Donald Trump’s character will be rooted in the actions documented in the film and the film alone.
The Apprentice is about the rise of Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) as a businessman in the 1970s and 80s. The title will make you think of his reality show, but in this Trump himself is the apprentice to cutthroat lawyer, Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). The film was helmed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman.
This story begins with Trump stuck in life. He’s living in the shadow of his father, collecting rent door to door from his tenants. He’s also in the midst of a lawsuit, one claiming he is racially profiling who can rent from his properties. Coincidentally he runs into infamous lawyer Roy Cohn.
Cohn sees potential in Donald and takes him under his wing. Not only does he help with his case, he shows him the in and outs of how to cut corners and climb the financial ladder: bullshit and pay your way to the top. If you truly want something, take it. That he does, with his holy grail accomplishment being the building of the first Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the ultimate luxury hotel project.
On his ride to the top, Trump “falls in love” with Ivana (Maria Bakalova), another demonstration of using money as leverage to take what he wants. Ultimately the films goes through many pivotal moments in Trump’s life showing how ruthless and unforgiving he becomes with the more power he achieves. Mentor, family, wife, none of this matters if you’re in his way. He will get what he wants by any means necessary.
I wouldn’t say Stan fully disappears in the role, but he does an incredible job of replicating Trump’s mannerisms and voice. These types of roles can easily feel like cheap imitation, but that is not the case here. While early talk had Stan in awards contention for this role, I think the attention needs to go to Strong’s stellar supporting performance. Strong delivers a powerful showing with hints of full vulnerability, desperation and embarrassment.
The Apprentice is a ruthless and brutal look into the rise of America’s most dangerous man. The ultimate greatest hits compilation of the vile actions and delusion that lead to Trump’s enormous wealth, wealth that made him feel untouchable. It will likely make you feel uncomfortable at points, but I think that’s the point. The reality of his history is downright disgusting and this films serves as an exposé of that.
