Strong Acting Makes ‘The Apprentice’ Impressive

Synopsis: The story of how a young Donald Trump started his real-estate business in 1970s and ’80s New York with the helping hand of infamous lawyer Roy Cohn.
Director: Ali Abbasi
Stars: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova

The Apprentice is an origin story of shorts presenting Donald J. Trump at the onset of his business career.

In the film, we get to know ‘The Donald’, played by Sebastian Stan, who goes on to be the 45th President of the United States. The movie takes place closer to the start of his real estate career and introduces his relationship with power broker/ lawyer/fixer Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong.

Director Ali Abbasi paints Trump as an insecure individual. Someone who has been dealing with a hard-to-please father and is having difficulty fitting in with the elite of New York City.

Trump appears desperate for the approval of almost everyone he encounters, including a model named Ivana (Bakalova), who catches his eye. Although she is in a relationship, that doesn’t deter Trump from aggressively pursuing her.

Money can substantially affect a person’s ego, and Trump is no exception. His ascent to power is marked by a certain ruthlessness, and much like watching a debate, you’ll feel compelled to do a quick fact-check on numerous events depicted in the film. While some are dramatized for effect, the ones that are factual are all the more alarming.

Sebastian Stan is very good in this film. From the mannerisms to speech, he does a good job of portraying Trump and his idiosyncrasies.

Coming off Succession, Jeremy Strong need not worry about not getting phone calls for work. He is incredibly strong in this film and should be included in Best Supporting Actor conversations.

Maria Bakalova delivers another strong performance in this film. We knew she could do comedy well (Borat 2), but she has now proven her versatility with an equally impressive dramatic role.

Ali Abbasi’s film has a certain raw feeling to it. The audience is transported to a time before the rallies and campaign speeches, when there was just a man—not an overly likeable man, but one who yearned to be successful.

Some aspects of the character remind me of Michael Keaton’s portrayal of Ray Croc in The Founder or Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. The rise to power is often met with casualties and ruined friendships. In The Apprentice, we witness someone who is just ruthless to others.

This film isn’t original, but taking away its main subject, it impresses based on its strong acting.

For this critic, the film neither endorses nor condemns its subject. Rather, it showcases some decent acting centred around an individual who just happens to be running for the highest office in America next month.

Grade: B-

Watch the movie trailer: