I watched this film out of curiosity and to potential learn more about the man behind the toupee. The Apprentice (2024) was not made as an opportunity to vilify Donald Trump but instead an opportunity to study one of the most polarising men in America and his early fight for success and his 'killer instinct'.
I was expecting this feature to give us a scope of Trump’s television reality show ‘The Apprentice’ but instead, it shows us Donald Trump’s rise as a real estate businessman and a somewhat ‘apprentice’ to infamous lawyer, Roy Cohn.
Sebastian Stan was magnificent, his performance was not a caricature but a true depiction of Donald Trump. Stan’s mannerisms, voice and gestures all tailored to transform him into the role and I was beyond impressed by his talent.
Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn who was just as compelling, the pair alongside one another fought for the spotlight and kept competing with one another throughout. It was a fight I could not take my eyes off of, Strong delivered a very stoic performance yet he was able to bring every ounce of greed and villainy necessary.
The Apprentice (2024) can be split into two sections, the first is Trump the student and the second is Trump the teacher. Donald Trump learns all he can from Cohn until he no longer needs him, pandering to Cohn, learning the craft of corruption and how to make it to the top. The Apprentice (2024) overarching themes of the need for more, the greed for success and the dedication to get it at any cost.
Director Ali Abbasi places the audience in a fly on the wall position, as though you shouldn’t be seeing some of those behind the scenes moments. Abbasi was able to bring perspective and clarity to a public figure we all recognise, he successfully curated a villainous, greedy origin story.
This could have been a simple biopic but instead, Abbasi chose to use intelligent camera movements to keep the film dynamic. Alongside the use of jarring popular music and grainy video effects, The Apprentice (2024) had plenty of stylistic choices which helped keep my attention throughout.
For me, the performances are the primary takeaway from this film. Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong’s performances are worth watching, these roles must have been challenging and incredibly intimidating to take on but both actors undoubtedly succeeded in depicting these characters. I was not expecting to enjoy this film as much as I did, it was an interesting, thrilling, shocking discovery of Trump’s early career and the megalomaniac he eventually grew into.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
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