The origins of Donald Trump are brought to life in a provocative,
electrifying portrait of the man and his mentor, Roy Cohn - a notorious lawyer who will never let the truth get in the way of winning a fight. Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong star as Trump and Cohn respectively, with Maria Bakalova starring as Ivana Trump and acclaimed director Ali Abbasi bringing a unique perspective to this gripping, darkly funny tale of greed, power, and the dark art of the deal.
The Garden Cinema View:
In a surprising thematic turn, Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider, Border) takes on a Trump biopic, with very satisfying results. The Apprentice is a consistently entertaining portrait that - remarkably - humanises Trump without absolving him of any his sins or narcissism.
Sebastian Stan's incredible performance plays a crucial role in maintaining this difficult balance. Astonishingly, Stan manages to transcend Trump's cartoonish facade and reach a kind of authenticity whilst still displaying early behavioural and physical traits of the man we now know.
The film reaches its zenith in its early stages, exploring a young Trump's formative relationships. These include his ruthless mentor, Roy Cohn (portrayed with method-acting bravado by Jeremy Strong), his tyrannical mogul father, and his first wife, Ivana (played with humorous empathy by Borat 2's, Maria Bakalova). The depiction of present-day Trump feels slightly less engaging, perhaps given how extensively he has been studied and satirised in recent years.
The film's stance is that Roy Cohn played a pivotal role in molding him into the figure we know today, emphasising nurture over nature in this monstrous formation. Viewers may disagree with this perspective, but Abbasi presents it with clarity and conviction.
