Most Faustian stories end with the Devil on top, having secured something far more valuable than what the victim traded for it. The compelling and often humorous, “The Apprentice” flips the morality tale on its head, with the student becoming the master.
The movie takes place in the 70s and 80s during Donald Trump’s (Sebastian Stan) rise to power under the mentorship of NYC Attorney and “fixer” Roy Cohn. (Jeremy Strong) When the two met, Cohn was already infamous for his prominent involvement in the McCarthy Hearings and the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Trump, young, dumb, rich, and looking to make a name for himself, seemed to be the perfect protégé for Cohn. Taking Trump under his wing, he began teaching him the tricks of success. The top two guidelines being”Attack, attack, attack,” and “Never admit defeat.” While Trump was often easy to manipulate, Cohn inadvertently created a monster. With each success, Trump began to believe his own lies and invincibility. People he once cared for are reduced to liabilities threatening his stoic façade. Even his first trophy wife, Ivana (Maria Bakalova) becomes nothing more than an object to own and display.
The film is competently directed by Ali Abbasi, who crafts a realistic period film without resorting to nostalgic clichés. The script, written by Gabriel Sherman is pretty straightforward as well, although there are a handful of too-on-the-nose moments thrown in foreshadowing Trump’s eventual political run. What really makes this movie shine are the performances. I was very skeptical when it was announced Sebastian Stan would be playing Trump, but he nails the physical mannerisms and speech cadence. It’s interesting to see as time go by how his idiosyncrasies morph from being physical quirks to increasingly more expressive parts of his larger-than-life persona. Maria Bakalova does great as Ivana, but at times it’s difficult to distance this performance from her brilliant work in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” The most impressive is how Jeremy Strong absolutely disappears into his portrayal of Roy Cohn. It would be easy to play him as a melodramatic one-dimensional villain, but instead, he’s the most fully fleshed-out character in the movie. Cohn had a reputation for being cold-hearted and viscous in public, but there was a softer side to him reserved to a very select few. It’s an incredible thing to find yourself almost feeling sorry for the devil after his apprentice turns his back when needed the most.
The real-life Trump has threatened multiple lawsuits if this movie ever saw the light of day. Reportedly, the filmmakers had trouble finding distribution due to these legal threats. Ironically, this has created a Streisand Effect with tons of free publicity and interest being generated for a film that may have been ignored by casual filmgoers. To its credit, and perhaps disappointing to some, “The Apprentice” isn’t nearly as salacious as the media would have you believe. Like any docudrama, events and dialog have been imagined or remixed for dramatic effect. The most damning events in the film are all actually on public record. It may not be the biased, politically charged, hit-job many were anticipating, but “The Apprentice” is a fascinating watch whose biggest disappointment is it ends too soon.
The Apprentice
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