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The odd exploits of two men, real estate deals, and some gaudy monstrosities are what you’ll find in the slightly satirical biographical drama film, The Apprentice. Directed by Ali Abbasi (Border), The Apprentice follows the business relationship and friendship between Donald Trump and his lawyer Roy Cohn in the 1970s and 1980s. Trump is played by Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), while Cohn is played by Jeremy Strong (Succession). It also stars Martin Donovan (Tenet) as Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump, and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) as his wife Ivana.
The Apprentice begins with Trump’s initial meeting with Cohn, while he’s still under his father. As the movie progresses we see how much he was influenced by Cohn, becoming increasingly ruthless. The film doesn’t touch on Cohn’s professional career much, other than a few glimpses at the courtroom. Instead, it’s much more focused on Trump’s rise and Cohn’s personal life which ends with his death due to complications from AIDS. Much of Cohn’s professional history – like his work with U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and prominent members of the Mafia such as Tony Salerno – is only hinted at.
Let’s Make a Deal
Oddly, the film feels like a romantic comedy. There’s a kind of love between Cohn and Trump as the lawyer takes the young businessman under his wing. It’s funny, too, but in an exhausted, offensive way. There aren’t many jokes, but occasionally someone will say something outlandish, and you might squeeze out a cathartic laugh. There’s a sense of foreboding in the film that never goes away, as you’re aware that Trump will go on to become the President of the United States. Of course, it’s played for laughter with a few lines teeing up that thought in your mind, but it’s unavoidable anyway.
The story is extremely straightforward. It does feel like a mix of a few other films, but in the end, it’s about a man wanting to become more than he is and becoming increasingly more ruthless as he attempts to do that. It’s not a particularly deep film. The story is the worst aspect of The Apprentice because it isn’t too interested in what the men do. Instead, it seems interested in why they do what they do. That’s fine, but the result is a fast-paced 123 minutes that feels longer because of how much (sometimes uninteresting) ground it covers. It’s a little exhausting.
Thankfully, Sebastian Stan’s performance is quite good. He isn’t doing an all-out impression and at the start, he’s subtle and resembles Trump through certain mannerisms. By the end of the film, the character is much more confident and so his mannerisms are more exaggerated. Stan nailed Trump’s way of speaking, his cadence, without imitating him. This makes the performance his own, and more believable at the same time.
The Master and The Apprentice
Strong is also tremendous, playing a sort of more sinister live-action Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. His presence in the film is haunting, as he seems to be lurking around every corner. Cohn’s story is more transformative than Trump’s and Strong plays both the cunning and the frailty of the character well. It’s not a subtle performance, but it does make for an entertaining watch. Bakalova is good as Ivana Trump, she’s just not given too much to do.
Donovan plays Fred Trump well and is fairly unrecognizable in the role. The performances are amplified by the great costuming and terrific make-up. Stan and Strong don’t exactly look unrecognizable as Trump and Cohn, but together with their strong physical presence, they do feel like those characters. The costuming also works well with the cinematography, which is working constantly to remind you that the film is a period piece. The constant film grain, and near documentary-style of filmmaking work to create that effect. The Apprentice is gorgeous, which is impressive considering the characters and locations boast a tacky ugliness.
The Apprentice has an interesting score, as it almost frames the movie as a horror film. Martin Dirkov’s (Border) music stands out and puts the weight of the film’s topic in the front of your mind, propelling that feeling of intense foreboding, even if the story itself isn’t overtly teeing anything up at the time. It’s one of the ways that the film keeps you engaged by reminding you of the larger context in which the film exists. It even begins with footage from President Nixon’s infamous “I’m not a crook,” speech.
Toppling Over
The film does disappoint in the story department, almost because it feels like a prequel that we didn’t really need. If the story had delved a little deeper into Trump or Cohn in that early era than it did, the film might have been more interesting. Instead, The Apprentice is like Trump’s many dealings, Abbasi puts on a show but never really backs it up with anything of substance.
Yet, the film is a little funny, it looks great, and you’ll probably leave the theater a bit more bummed out than you were when you walked in, but because of the film’s content rather than the quality of the movie you’ve just seen. Fortunately, everything surrounding the story is great, with super performances, excellent costuming, and some gorgeous shots. Ultimately, The Apprentice is saved from mediocrity and the result is a very good time at the theater.
You can watch The Apprentice in theaters from October 11, 2024.
The Apprentice
Great performances by the leads and a hell of a cinematic style turn an uninteresting biopic into a very good time.
Pros
- Stan and Strong give great performances that feel like authentic characters.
- The brilliant costuming and make-up help accentuate those performances.
- The epic score gives the biopic a threatening, horrific aura that works well.
Cons
- The story is fairly uninteresting, as it’s a simple rise-and-fall narrative.
