Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
The Film takes place in New York during ’70s and ’80s, following a young Donald J. Trump (Sebastian Stan) as he learns how to be a ‘winner’ from cut-throat Lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). With these two divisive subjects, it’s little wonder that Director Ali Abassi’s The Apprentice has people divided.
We begin in the ’70s, with Trump going door to door at a housing complex his father owns, demanding rent to be paid. We learn those residents are suing his father, which leads Trump to a chance encounter with the notorious Cohn. Cohn looks at Trump as a schmuck with a big name who he can mold into a miniature version of himself. He teaches him three rules for success. One: “Attack, attack, attack.” Two: “Admit nothing, deny everything.” Three: “No matter what happens, you claim victory, and never admit defeat.”.
This first half of The Apprentice is captivating. Watching as Cohn creates a monster of sorts out of a young Trump. Here, Stan portrays Trump as a wide-eyed student in awe of who he deems to be master. It allows the audience to relate: we’ve all admired and aspired to be someone before. Strong gives a formidable performance as Cohn, playing him as the most vicious killer shark there is.
But just as we get comfortable with this monster and his Dr. Frankenstein, Screenwriter Gabriel Sherman jumps to the ’80s. Now, Trump has become the face of his family name: building casinos in Atlantic City and the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue. This arrogant real estate mogul feels more familiar and Stan does an incredible job depicting the man we’ve seen near-daily on our newsfeeds. And now, Cohn has been diagnosed with AIDS, but refuses to admit it, stating he has liver cancer. Strong is outstanding bringing Cohn coming to terms with the decisions he’s made as he nears the end of his life.
There’s still a lot to like in this second half of The Apprentice, yet, it doesn’t leave the same impression as the first. Maybe because the first gives us a peak at a Trump we aren’t as familiar with? Regardless, this Film will be divisive because it tells the story of two prominent figures, still in the public’s recent memory. We all have our own opinions of them, especially when it comes to Trump. We carry this baggage as we watch this story unfold.
However, if you can put those judgments aside for two hours, you’ll see that The Apprentice is a captivating film about a young man who yearned to win and learned how to by someone who arguably had no moral compass. Then, once that man won, he never wanted to lose again and lived the remainder of his life by that person’s ruthless standards and values.
Mongrel Media release THE APPRENTICE in theatres Friday, October 11, 2024.
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