Rating: 8/10
“The Apprentice” pulls the viewer into another time entirely, with all of the drugs, sex and synth music of the 1980s New York elite. Released on Oct. 11, the biographical drama tells the story of a young Donald Trump and his transformation into a ruthless billionaire real estate tycoon.
The movie almost entirely avoids Trump’s political career, only making a few tongue-in-cheek jokes about him running for president in the future. The film focuses on Trump’s character and details how his personality and values change as he climbs the ladder to financial success.
Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of Trump is believable, and he excels at recreating his unique mannerisms and speech patterns. He particularly finds his stride as the film progresses — the viewer can see a noticeable evolution of Trump’s character through the way Stan changes how he speaks, becoming more assertive, egotistical and confident.
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The film also does a good job of balancing the many complex aspects of a controversial character’s life story. At the beginning of the film, the viewer almost roots for Trump as a naive underdog figure in the brutal business world of New York.
However, as the film progresses, we see Trump succumb to his ego and desire for wealth. He abuses women, engages in legally dubious activity and tries to manipulate his aging father for his financial gain, ultimately becoming an unforgivable and unsympathetic character.
The rest of the cast also gave strong performances. Jeremy Strong plays the infamous attorney Roy Cohn, who was disbarred by the New York Supreme Court for unethical legal conduct.
While Strong starts the film as a ruthless lawyer who will stop at nothing to get his way, by the end of the film, Trump has completely surpassed and abandoned him. Strong portrays Roy’s downfall incredibly well. He even garners a small degree of sympathy from the viewer despite playing such an unsympathetic character.
Maria Bakalova portrays Trump’s first wife, Ivana, and gives a suitable performance. Ivana was born in Czechoslovakia and immigrated to Canada in the 1970s. Unfortunately, Bakalova’s Czech accent is distractingly terrible and sounds more like an Eastern European Dracula with a stuffy nose than a Czech immigrant. While the accent is highly distracting, the rest of her performance is solid.
Despite the film being heavily character-driven, its cinematography and setting are strong. New York City almost feels like a character in itself. The film is full of contrasting shots, with beautiful high-rise views and helicopter shots of the city quickly jumping to street-level shots that emphasize the grime and grit of 1980s New York.
Politically, the film utilizes the turbulent 1980s to set the stage for larger events. We see the effects of Reaganomics, the Cold War, the AIDS epidemic and the growth of the New York real estate industry all play out in the film and affect the characters in some way.
“The Apprentice” does an admirable job of navigating the life of an incredibly controversial figure, which is no easy task. While the movie ignores almost all of Trump’s modern political ambitions, felony convictions and controversies, it does so for the best. It is ultimately a film about Trump, the businessman, and his evolution, not Trump, the politician.
