The Apprentice review by Bobby Blakey
There is no denying that no matter your feelings about Donald Trump as a person or political that he is a polarizing figure. It was only a matter of time before some sort of film about him came out and The Apprentice from director Ali Abbasi looks to tell the story of his beginnings. The film stars Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, and Martin Donovan, but does it capture the essence of the man and his legacy, or will it get fired before completing its task?
The Apprentice follows a young Donald Trump, eager to make his name as a hungry second son of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, comes under the spell of Roy Cohn, the cutthroat attorney who would help create the Donald Trump we know today. Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protégé—someone with raw ambition, a hunger for success, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
It's important to note that long before Trump got into office, I was not a fan of the man. The reason I want that noted going into this film is that I am reviewing the film itself and performances and not from the perspective of my personal feelings of him, his career or his Presidency. Since the film is focused more on his early beginnings it makes that all the easier to dive in. This film is formed from three tales, his relationship with Ivanka, his rise as a real estate tycoon and his relationship with Roy Cohn to the person we know today.
I am so glad they went into this part of his story as it allows them to keep things more on the line of his history via interviews and documents to craft a compelling film that is good. The story is simple enough and doesn’t reveal all that much that most people won’t know but seeing his rise through the ranks of the social and financial classes gives you a glimpse of the man that was and the man he is today. A lot of it can also explain why he is and treats people now
based on the connections he was aligned with, most notably Cohn.
Trump is a unique person in his speaking style and mannerisms and there is no way the film works if the actor portraying him doesn’t make you believe its him. To say that Sebastian Stan embodied Trump is an understatement. His performance is outstanding and one of Stan’s career best. He takes Trump through multiple stages with him evolving to the version of Trump we know today good or bad. He has nailed the speech pattern and the way his mouth moves to perfection and backed it up with a damn brilliant performance.
As good as he is, it is still Strong who steals the show as the creepy and unique Cohn. He is such a deadpan delivery but offers up so much depth and layers to his persona that you will easily hate everything about this man, but also see the power he wields and why Trum was so drawn to him. The two of them have an interesting chemistry that is powerful and dysfunctional all at once. It is interesting how Cohn becomes more caring and concerned the more Trump becomes like him as the film plays out.
The filmmakers have done a great job that not only delivers a compelling look at his life and career, but never makes them feel like something just designed to bash him. I have no doubt some of his followers will be against this film and find issues with it just because he tried to stop its release without ever seeing it, but I for one and am glad I checked it out if for no other reason that the top notch performances from Stan and Strong.
Decide for yourself and check out The Apprentice in theaters October 11th from Briarcliff Entertainment.