The Apprentice is the latest film from Ali Abassi. The film has struck up controversy through its choice of subject, Donald Trump, who has stated that the film is cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting, whilst calling the people involved with the film human scum. With the film’s release just a few weeks out from the US election, where Trump aims to retake the White Office throne, it is clear to see why Trump would be apprehensive at the possibility of a biopic for this release window.
Whilst the film opens it is ‘fictionalised for dramatic purpose’ Abassi is able to lull you into the wiring of this 70s/80s setting as you see a young Trump transform into the figure we know today. Playing the Nixon “I am not a crook” speech, as a way of bringing the audience within the timeline, whilst showing how it views prior Presidents is the first of many examples of the power of filmmaking to manipulate the mind.
The film heads into the action straight away, as Trump heads to an exclusive bar with a date, he is obsessed with the billionaire. Not just in the money they possess, but more importantly, how they handle themselves, their ambition, and their power to make senior political figures into corrupt puppets. Trump is not the character we know him as, but rather admirably ambitious. He is shy and skittish, looking for guidance so he can transform a dilapidated Hotel in the centre of the Big Apple’s rotten core.
In this he confides in Roy Cohn, played marvellously by Jeremy Strong who could easily have gone into his Succession schtick but instead provides a fascinating presentation of a man who has the voice Trump will acquire and a lust for power and victory, taking a thrill in sending people to the electric chair for what he states as treason. As Trump first catches eyes on Cohn, the film narrows the frame through the walls, staring down the barrel of Cohn’s demonic figure.
The film is less a political drama as it is a coming-of-age tale, a tale of a loss of innocence as Trump learns Cohn’s three rules to success: 1) Attack, Attack, Attack. 2) Admit nothing and deny everything. 3) Claim victory and never admit defeat. In truth Strong plays Cohn as if he is a capitalist Yoda, constantly preaching to Trump about how to do business, giving him life lessons and guiding him along the way. For all intent and purpose, this shouldn’t work but Strong’s performance fits within the best of the year.
Abassi does an excellent job of portraying Trump as a multi-faceted character whilst clear in how they view him overall. Part of the joy of the film is seeing Trump transform. Sebastian Stan, who plays Trump, is only the person we know now through the quiff, but soon the mannerisms start to appear as Cohn creates a monster of his own creation as he begins to supersede him. At one point Trump meets his future wife, Ivana, with a gaze that can only be described as demonic, we slowly see Trump lose his innocence, becoming bullish and shrewd, destroying anything that gets in his way. As he begins to gain power, moments of infidelity and disloyalty become apparent, as he becomes an emotionless greed machine.
The film also shows the audience just enough. Moments, particularly Cohn are revealing and help predict his fate, however, these never feel eye-rolling, just giving enough information to work out for ourselves what is going on with him, especially in the latter stages where he struggles to confide in people around him.
Whilst the film slightly overstays its welcome, it is held up by two really strong performances that make this tale easy to navigate as Trump slowly transforms. Likewise, the film is terrifically stylised, using a 4:3 aspect ratio and grainy footage to make it look like the film is shot on film rather than digital.
The Apprentice is a triumph in showing the power of film. It is a film that shows the slow transformation of one of America’s most powerful men. It is a film that affects how we view the contemporary version of Trump, as it shows him slowly losing his innocence as he rises in fame and fortune.
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