Direction: Ali Abbasi
Country: USA
After the lukewarm reception of Holy Spider (2022), Iranian-born Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi finds his stride with The Apprentice, his first English-language film. This biopic, penned by journalist and author Gabriel Sherman, employs artful dramatization to delve into the dark, tension-filled world of political intrigue. The film focuses on a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) and his mentor Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), a ruthless and influential lawyer whose teachings shape Trump’s infamous playbook for success: attack relentlessly, deny all accusations, and never admit defeat.
Set against the backdrop of 1970s New York, the narrative explores Trump's rise from financial turmoil to prominence, emphasizing his morally ambiguous dealings and relationships. Key figures in his life, including his cold father (Martin Donovan), his first wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova), and his troubled brother Fred (Charlie Carrick), an airline pilot grappling with alcoholism and depression, add depth to the character study.
The Apprentice is an ugly story with its quibbles and flaws, but I watched it with interest from start to finish. There are a few controversial scenes—it’s hard to determine how much of each is true and how much is false—but the personifications are remarkable, the pace is exciting, and the real ambition felt throughout is an aspect that intrigues. The film, elevated by its two lead actors and the compelling cinematography by Kasper Tuxen (Beginners, 2010; The Worst Person in the World, 2021), is a complex and scary portrait of a man whose thirst for power can have a major impact on our world.
