Release Date – 18th October 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 2 minutes, Director – Ali Abbasi
The 80s approach, real estate businessman Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) sees his chance to bring life back into New York City, taken under the wing of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong).
The success of the specifically-timed The Apprentice perhaps comes down to the fact that it takes its time to build up its attack on Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan). Despite opening with Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook” speech, after a note about this being based on a true story but featuring some fictionalised events, the first half of this story following the rise of the real estate businessman in New York City plays out exactly like a ‘based on a true story’ tale of the spread and growth of greed.
1970s New York City is a run-down and struggling place, however a young Trump sees hope in it. He wishes to buy the old Commodore hotel in an undesirable area seeing it as an opportunity to launch the city’s big comeback. Taken under the wing of lawyer Roy Cohn (a fantastic display of ruthlessness from Jeremy Strong) New York begins to expand and develop into a new era, with plenty of Trump-name brands alongside it.
Stan may not look or sound like Trump and it takes some time to get used to him as the younger version of the man we’ve seen on the news so much over the last near-decade (references to Reagan’s presidential campaigns, possible runs for Trump and general political comments heavily wink at the camera) but over time as he comes more into his own, particularly in interviews, a familiar style and pattern of speech begins to emerge. As his character becomes a bigger societal figure, outshining his family, Stan appears bigger on screen, the light more focused on him.
A great Maria Bakalova is confined to the mid-section as first-wife Ivana, with the relationship quickly deteriorating into impactful abuse. Over time the villain arc of the central figure becomes more defined as he grows out of being Cohn’s apprentice, and even their close relationship is challenged – with a strong turn of performance from Strong in the later stages as he sees his former protégé consumed by what he views as the art of the deal, “relentless in the pursuit of perfection.”
While the question remains as to who this film is really for (despite a successful Kickstarter campaign to get it a wider US release, although eventually failing to set the box office alight), the film itself is rather good. Growing its narrative before going out on the attack, when it does we have seen a true growth and development grow from an initial taste from obsession. The drama is effectively paced and built-up, with an interesting Blade-Runner-esque score from Martin Dirkov backing the fracturing relationships amidst the rise of Trump’s business empire.
As this happens the engaging ‘based on a true story’ style shifts into an effective villain arc where hostility hangs in the rooms acting as bases for the pursuit of money and power.
Saving its attack for the second half, The Apprentice constructs its story via the performances which capture the heated feuds, tensions and greed between its characters before forming an effective, and still engaging for those who feel they already ‘know’ this story, villain arc.
Just A Little Bit Random 