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The
Apprentice (2024)
 
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Directed
by:
Ali Abbasi |
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COUNTRY
Canada/Denmark/
Ireland/USA |
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GENRE
Biographical drama |
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NORWEGIAN TITLE
The
Apprentice |
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RUNNING
TIME
122 minutes |
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Produced
by:
Daniel Bekerman
Amy Baer
Jacob Jarek
Tony Grier
Julianne Forde
Ruth Treacy
Louis Tisné |
Written by:
Gabriel Sherman |
Review
Although this biopic treatment of
Donald Trump's early ascent to fame and fortune as a real estate
mogul in New York City has a particular angle – seen through Trump's
mentorship with attorney Roy Cohn – there is balance and
qualification in its portrayal of the future 45th and 47th President
of the United States. The film isn't particularly political, which
arguably was a prerequisite for it to work. Instead of getting down
and dirty with the current polarised political climate in the U.S.,
The Apprentice looks at Trump from a temporal and
geographical distance; the film is made by Danish/Iranian director
Ali Abbasi in collaboration with Danish, Irish, and Canadian
producers. One of the results of this is that the film doesn't take
either itself or its protagonist too seriously, even if it is still
able to delve into the more poignant elements of the script with a
certain gravitas. The focal point of the story is the aforementioned
relationship between Trump and Cohn, which is constantly shaped by
the shifting power dynamic between the two. Regardless of the
veracity of their relation, there is riveting dramatic power in the
interplay between Jeremy Strong as Cohn and Sebastian Stan as Trump.
Stan is brilliantly cast; he nails many of Trump's mannerisms
without slipping into caricature. And he has that quiet,
awe-inspiring quality that the actor for this role needed in order
to explain the remarkable appeal and magnetism that Trump
demonstrated later in his career. The performance is one of the best
of the year. As far as biopics go, The Apprentice is sharp,
balanced, and surprisingly enjoyable.
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