A young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), eager to make his name as the hungry second son of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, comes under the spell of cutthroat lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protege: someone with raw ambition, a hunger for success, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

Forget about this year’s U.S. Presidential election, the MAGA rhetoric, and the singular brand name that is Trump; in The Apprentice, filmmaker Ali Abbasi turns the clock back for what critics have been calling a supervillain’ origin story that examines just how Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) was made in the late 1970s/early 1980s and his unrelenting and thoroughly ruthless drive that created the character that has come to dominate American business, culture and politics. Following Trump’s rise as the son of real estate developer Fred Trump, who was pretty much a slum landlord in Queens, New York, the young Trump is desperate to escape the wrong side of the tracks and become part of the Manhatten elite. Seeing real estate as his way to do it and employing the help of seasoned fixer and Republican icon Roy Cohn (), Trump makes his movie, and under Abbassi’s direction, this is a thoroughly engrossing watch.

A story of ambition, money, power, sex, and the American Dream, The Apprentice is a film that demands your attention. It follows the journey of a nobody striving to become a somebody, reflecting Donald Trump’s own ascent. Through a riveting narrative and deep character study, Abbasi examines the influences that shaped Trump and, in doing so, comments on the America that created him.

Abbasi vividly captures the gritty, seedy atmosphere of late 1970s New York, reminiscent of the era depicted in Taxi Driver. In this world filled with hookers, hustlers, and pimps who have made Times Square their domain, the young Trump formulates a plan to transform his surroundings. With the guidance of his mentor and ‘friend’ Roy Cohn, he helps usher in the extravagant excesses of the 1980s, making for a thrilling watch. Abbasi not only benefits from a fantastic cast but also collaborates with cinematographer Kasper Tuxen, who skillfully captures the anything-goes atmosphere of that era. The cinematography has a distinctive VHS quality, making this one of the most remarkable films you will see this year.

Standing in Donald Trump’s shoes is Sebastian Stan, an actor who has proven himself to be both thoughtful and tactful in his choices as an actor, and in watching his performance, you understand why he took on the challenge of The Apprentice. Stan’s performance is layered and complex in his presentation and exploration of Trump as we see him transform from the aloof kid from Queens, New York, who doesn’t quite fit into becoming the quintessential dealmaking Trump and status symbol of the 1980s ‘Greed Is Good’ culture. Stan completely disappears into the dealmaking skin of Trump, and his performance is deliberate and paced so that he doesn’t reveal his hand to quickly, and as the narrative moves forward, we see his ‘Trumpisms’ come to life, and when we finally arrive at ‘Art of the Deal’ Trump, he’s fully invested in the character. Whether Stan does receive the adulation of award season buzz is anyone’s guess, but he thoroughly deserves it with this performance, and it stands out as one of the best of the year.

Moulding Stan’s Donald Trump into a vehicle for capitalistic excess is Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, the infamous Republican fixer who gives Trumop three rules to live by: Always attack, never admit wrongdoing, and always claim victory, even if defeated. Strong like Stan is transformative in his presence as Cohn, and the film’s narrative takes a very interesting track when it comes to his character development, and audiences will be surprised at how Cohn’s relationship with Trump changes over their two-decade ‘friendship’ and the impact that he had on the real estate mogul. Rising star Maria Bakalova rounds out the cast as the late Ivana Trump, Trumpo’s first and arguably most famous wife, and she brings an interesting frame in which the audience can view Stan as the young Trump. Bakalova brings a very humanistic approach to the character, and it’s interesting to watch the chemistry that she and Stan share as the narrative weaves throughout the picture.

However, the big question for audiences remains: what exactly would Donald Trump think of The Apprentice? While Trump has made no displeasure about his hatred of the film and his desire to sue the filmmakers and has labelled it as “a cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job” and described those involved in it as “human scum”, I still think he’d be curious enough to actually watch it, and that he’d probably throw some measure of applause towards the Sebastian Stan’s performance. Trump loves Trump, so I think he’d be intrigued by the picture and would want to watch it.

The Apprentice is a film that captures the audience’s attention. It presents a clever, layered, and complex portrayal of its central character. With the current drama surrounding the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election, the film serves as both a thought-provoking and entertaining watch, and viewers will be spellbound by it.

Image: MadMan Films

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Watch the full trailer for The Apprentice below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

1970s New York. Determined to emerge from his powerful father’s shadow and make a name for himself in Manhattan real estate, aspiring mogul Donald J. Trump (Sebastian Stan) is in the earliest days of his career when he encounters the man who will become one of the most important figures in his life, political fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Seeing promise in young Donald, the influential attorney — who secured espionage convictions against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and investigated suspected Communists alongside Senator Joseph McCarthy — teaches his new acolyte how to amass wealth and power through deception, intimidation and media manipulation. The rest is history.

The Apprentice had its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Since then, the film and filmmakers have been the focus of legal threats from the Trump campaign, in an attempt to stop the film from being released in cinemas.

Of the threat from the Trump organisation, producer Dan Bekerman said, “having Donald Trump’s campaign threaten us directly after our screening, not only threaten us, but threaten any distributor who dared to try to release the movie, that created a very unique circumstance for everyone involved, and we certainly have had our struggles with that. But we’ve really believed in the integrity of the movie on every level: as a work of art, as a responsible movie”.

The Apprentice is shaping up to be a sharp tale of ambition, greed, and power as we chart the rise of young Trump through the 1970s and 1980s as he builds out his real estate empire and became a dynamic force in America. Celebrated actor Sebastian Stan gives a committed and transformative performance as the young Trump, and he’s gone to extreme lengths to portray one of America’s most polarising figures, while Jeremy Strong is utterly ruthless and intense in his portrayal of the controversial political fixer Roy Cohn. Rounding out the cast is rising star Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, whose glittering personality captures the attention of the young Trump.

The Apprentice is shaping up to be a must-watch cinematic event when it arrives in cinemas on October 10.

Image: MadMan Films

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