’The Apprentice’ review: The dangers of American ambition

While not as subversive as it purports to be, The Apprentice hits hard thanks to retro looks and its strong stars

From the beginning, Ali Abbasi’s new film The Apprentice faces a nearly insurmountable challenge: how to make a compelling biographical narrative out of a person whose polarizing media presence seems inescapable? It’s no easy feat to take on the task of narrating the early years of former President and current Republican nominee Donald Trump. However, Abbasi manages to navigate this daunting task with surprising clarity and a dash of fiction.  After all the controversy leading up to its release, The Apprentice is as straightforward an exploration of greed and corruption can be.

The film introduces us to a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan); the son of a major real estate developer who, while enamored with the world of luxury in New York during the 70s, is still finding his way and dealing with a discrimination lawsuit faced by his dad’s company. During a night out clubbing, he meets shady lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) known for his ties with the Nixon administration. When Cohn starts helping Trump with advice regarding the lawsuit, they strike a bond and a master-apprentice relationship in which Trump learns the ways of Cohn’s world and uses them to further his career. 

The transformation from Donald to Trump

The script from Gabriel Sherman (The Loudest Voice) presents a tragedy about a young man who, in his search for wealth and mentorship, fully embraces his teacher’s lessons. While he grows to appreciate his mentor, he ultimately fails to support him when he’s vulnerable. This transformation between two poles drives the heart of the film, anchored by the performances of Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan.

Strong portrays Cohn’s larger-than-life persona with hints of frailty and vulnerability, subtly revealing that he’s hiding a secret. Stan brilliantly captures the mannerisms associated with the former President: his puckered lip, hand gestures, and unique rhetorical style. It’s commendable how these choices gradually emerge as Trump’s character develops, introduced so incrementally that they never feel like a caricature.

While excellently executed, this transformation remains one of the film’s weakest points. The issue doesn’t stem from the film itself, but from the broader context surrounding it. Trump has dominated American political discourse for nearly a decade, making it nearly impossible to avoid encountering him in the news cycle. For the narrative arc to be fully effective, the transformation driven by excessive greed and hunger for power should lead to an unrecognizable figure. Instead, The Apprentice displays a person audiences already know too well. His historical days in court were just more thumbnails in the news feeds of millions. By the time Stan’s subtle mannerisms fully resemble the real-life Trump, the impact feels diminished and the outcome becomes obvious.

A Succession episode in the 1980s

It’s a shame that so much of the film focuses on that transformation rather than enriching the world that surrounded Abbasi’s Trump. For instance, his abusive relationship with Ivana (portrayed effectively by Maria Bakalova) feels rushed, as well as the sidelining of his father as he attempts to take over the family’s finances. Further emphasis on relationships other than that of Cohn would have greatly enriched the character and potentially made his eventual embrace of ambition more effective. 

The performances and overall structure are not the only things this film has going for it. In fact, Sherman’s script is incredibly engaging, with gripping dialogue and a pace that matches the rhythm of the New York City of the time period. While some of the events are fictionalized, it’s all threaded in a plausible and coherent manner. Moreover, the cinematography by Kaspen Tuxen (The Worst Person in the World) merges retro styles, reflections, and dramatic camera movements to create a retro feeling that, while appealing to vintage sentiments, doesn’t take away from the feeling of prestige.

The bottom line

Given its timing (and the headlines it caused), it will be hard to remember The Apprentice outside of the context of the 2024 presidential election. Despite its unflattering portrayal of one of the candidates, there is more to the movie than just political commentary. There’s also a fascinating subtext of greed and corruption and the impact these values can have on the narrative of the American Dream if left unchecked. While it’s straightforward and not a particularly innovative message, it’s an important one to remember and what will likely be the lasting legacy of the film. 

The Apprentice is now playing in theaters everywhere. You can watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment/X. You can read more reviews by Pedro Luis Graterol here.