Ali Abbasi’s highly anticipated, and highly controversial, biopic centred around Donald Trump in his assent to billionaire-dom, has been released in cinemas.
The Apprentice is aptly named after the reality TV show in which Donald Trump was also the star, already had the makings of being a fantastic watch.
The older demographic of the audience as I was seated for the film, the lack of marketing outside the controversy surrounding production, and the star-studded line-up, I believed I was in for a treat.
My expectations did not fall too short! We follow a young almost ‘down on his luck’ Trump, embodied amazingly by Sebastian Stan. We watch him traverse what seemed to be his ‘struggle’ rising through the ranks from down-trodden second son of Fred Trump to worldwide supervillain.
Jeremy Strong plays the brutally cut-throat Roy Cohn, a merciless lawyer who takes ‘Little Donnie’ under his wing and teaches him the nefarious tricks of the trade that ensured his success. Cohn had three major rules:
- Attack, attack, attack!
- Admit nothing, deny everything.
- Claim victory, never admit defeat.
These rules of thumb are still seen in Trump today, especially considering he was adamant about halting production of the movie and attempted to file a cease and desist order.
We manoeuvre with the treacherous pair through a downbeat ’70s New York as Trump attempts to return the city to its former glory with the renovation of the Commodore Hotel, a huge leap from being an employee at his father’s painfully racially-segregated housing estate company.
As the movie progresses, we go from having slight disdain for an almost pathetic and shy Trump, to seeing him actualise the monster we know him as today.
The movie did well in so far as not to flatter him too much, though the problem with having the ‘protagonist’ be a character the world knows all too well, there’s an added pressure to portray him as completely irredeemable from the jump, which I felt Abbasi fell short on.
Cohn’s character, on the other hand, did the opposite. Going from a strong, unshakable man who was willing to eat any and everyone alive in the pursuit of success and sometimes just for the fun of it, to a withered old husk of his former self, struggling to watch as his protégé usurps him and reaches heights he was never able to accomplish.
Luckily, there was not much sympathy felt for Cohn by anyone in the audience. His demise was the result of the evil he had imparted upon others.
Even the scene where he threatened to out a closeted member of the government to win a case, was thrown back in his face later on in the movie when he was interrogated about his own sexuality on national TV amidst rumours of him contracting HIV.
Stan was wonderful in slowly but surely developing more and more into Trump’s widely known ‘isms’. The wide-eyed and enthusiastic character that existed at the start of the film progresses into a pouty-lipped, oranged-skinned man who almost convinces you that another actor has taken over the role.
Trump’s first wife, Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova) served as a fantastic demonstration of his regression into depravity. Ivana started off as a sure and confident woman, with big dreams and goals that existed outside of only getting married and starting a family.
Initially, she wore the pants and younger Trump would do anything to please her. Though being married to him wore her down.
There is a scene in which she is quite brutally attacked by Trump after upsetting him. I do not think showing that to the extent that it was shown was truly necessary but it highlighted the extreme change that money and power had on Trump and that it was beyond reparable by that point.
Another strong point of the movie was the cinematography. The grainy camera offset by the warm and muted colours convinced me that I was indeed in the ’70s. The shakiness of the camera too, made for a fast-paced and adrenaline-filled atmosphere, absorbing the audience in the hustle and bustle of the story.
It almost reminded me of The Office in how the camera feverishly followed the characters around, accompanied by the dangerously comedic elements of the film. The performances were easy flowing which made for an improvised feel, akin to that of a reality television show or a hilarious documentary.
All in all, the movie did itself justice. It was engaging, funny, daring, beautifully produced all while making sure not to redeem Trump in any of his qualities, except his determination to win, no matter what.
Featured image by Apprentice Productions/Mongrel Media.