The Big Picture

The Apprentice
offers insights on Donald Trump’s origin story, turning into something akin to a Martin Scorsese film.
Sebastian Stan portrays Trump with nuance by focusing on mannerisms as opposed to just an impersonation of his voice.
The film dives into dealmaking mechanics and explores how figures like Roy Cohn influenced Trump’s development.

Like Alexis de Tocqueville and Lars von Trier before him, Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi surveys America from the distance of Europe. This age-old tradition allows for fresh insights into how something American is either unique or routine, with less influence from stateside news cycles or institutions that shape opinion. Abbasi’s latest, The Apprentice, looks at a figure like Donald Trump and sees an origin story not dissimilar from that of a Martin Scorsese protagonist. Trump is Henry Hill. Trump is Jordan Belfort. Trump embodies the American Dream and is New York City personified—at least in Reagan’s Wall Street-crazed ’80s.

The Apprentice (2024) In the gritty backdrop of New York City during the 70s and 80s, a young Donald Trump embarks on his journey to become a real estate mogul. With the mentorship of the ruthless lawyer Roy Cohn, Trump maneuvers through a world of high-stakes deals and moral ambiguity. The narrative explores the pivotal moments and relationships that defined his rise, highlighting the blend of ambition and controversy that marked his early career. The film provides a compelling portrait of power and the personal costs of success, set against the dynamic and turbulent landscape of a bygone era.Release Date May 20, 2024 Director Ali Abbasi Runtime 120 Minutes Main Genre Drama Writers Gabriel Sherman Studio(s) Fabula Pictures

What Is ‘The Apprentice’ About?
An origin story, The Apprentice begins in the 1970s, where a young, upstart Trump (Sebastian Stan) is looking to make a big splash in the NYC real estate world. He is partly driven by a desire to impress and surpass his father, Fred Trump (Martin Donovan), whose tough love approach has a different effect on older brother Fred Jr. (Charlie Carrick), who sadly turns to substance abuse. Stan lends empathy to young Trump through his eyes and posture as we see him internalize every criticism from his demanding father.

Stan chooses to adopt Trump’s cadence but forgoes the voice, focusing on playing up his naivety and awkwardness. Skipping the voice is wise–many talented have fallen attempting to master it and now the press cycle will have to focus on his actual performance instead. After his role as Bucky/the Winter Soldier in eight (and counting) Marvel movies, Stan has charted an interesting career path, popping up as a supplier to ultra-wealthy cannibals in Fresh, and recently in the Sundance-premiering A24 indie A Different Man.

And now Stan plays a young Trump who knows the rooms he needs to be in to get where he wants, but hasn’t yet mastered the schmoozing and deal-brokering once finally inside. This is where attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) comes in. Cohn is the political fixer who gained notoriety from acting as lead counsel for the McCarthy communist hearings. Cohn takes Trump under his wing, happy to shepherd him along, and this relationship is the heart of The Apprentice. Strong plays Cohn with an all-consuming intensity. When he talks, he demands full attention. You can forgive Trump when he fails to pick up on Cohn’s ribbing as the nervousness from being in his presence makes it easy for obvious jokes to go over anyone’s head. In the ’80s-set second half of the film, Cohn takes more of a backseat because he is secretly dying of AIDS, and the film suffers as a result. You long for more screen time of Stan and Strong acting opposite one another.

‘The Apprentice’ Benefits From Its Visual Style and a Standout Performance
Stylistically, the film appears to be influenced by Succession and Adam McKay’s other HBO series Winning Time, with handheld documentary-style camerawork and a fuzzy 16mm look that mirrors news footage from the era. This is often interwoven seamlessly into the film. New Order’s “Blue Monday” announces the movie’s transition to the ’80s, as the grainy film look gives way to analog tape. These are obvious artistic choices that nonetheless remain effective.

Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump is a highlight of the film as she captures the interiority of a business-savvy, independent woman who falls in love with this bumbling, ambitious young man who strangely doesn’t drink or smoke. Their well-choreographed meet-cute and subsequent courting make the dissolution of their marriage in the second half of the film ring with real emotion.

What Is the Art of the Deal in ‘The Apprentice?’
When the Fyre Festival debacle went down in 2017, it was pointed out that we only care about this because it became a disaster. If Billy McFarland had pulled it all off at the last second and his music festival became a resounding success, the narrative would revolve around how he is a maverick for not waiting for permission, for making deals first and figuring out details later. The line between crook and genius entrepreneur in America is dangerously thin, and The Apprentice makes that connection with Trump. In one key moment, explaining how business is done in America, Trump promises Hyatt that his new hotel with them will be free of property tax. Hyatt can’t believe it, especially when things are presently so bad economically in New York. But they are impressed. After the meeting, Trump rushes to Cohn to save the day, which typically involves less-than-legal tactics. The Apprentice makes the point that this is exactly how dealmaking on the largest scale is achieved in America.

Late in the film, when talking with the journalist he tapped to write his book, Trump talks about how, to him, the deal is everything. It’s the business version of “It’s the journey, not the destination.” The Apprentice maintains a similar fascination for the mechanics of dealmaking, namely that unwavering self-confidence and simplicity of the pitch appear the two primary criteria for getting deals of any scale closed. And so, while he’s rarely the smartest guy in any given room, more than once we see how effective Trump is at getting things pushed through. He does so by keeping it simple and reminding everyone over and over again how great this particular project is going to be for those who greenlight it. Thirdly, if push comes to shove, Cohn is typically able to strongarm a favor, often through more not-so-legal maneuvering.

It wouldn’t be a Trump movie without some appearances from the Trump extended universe. While there is no young Steve Bannon sporting two button-downs together, plenty of others appear. A young Roger Stone (Mark Rendall)—who hasn’t yet adopted his trademark robber baron outfits—senses an opportunity for Trump in the political sphere. So he pitches a mostly dismissive Trump on running for office. The oddest cameo goes to Andy Warhol (Bruce Beaton) who pops up briefly at a Cohn party, alluding early on to Cohn’s secret life as a queer man, something Trump is woefully oblivious to until he walks in on Cohn in the middle of an orgy late at night.

‘The Apprentice’ Is a Double-Edged Sword of a Movie
Image via Cannes

One perceived weakness of The Apprentice is actually a strength. From Trump and Ivana’s meet-cute to Trump’s eventual outgrowing of his need for his mentor Cohn—Abbasi and collaborators frame these familiar story beats in a straightforward manner, refraining from taking many narrative risks. By framing it this way, Trump is more cleanly equated with all the other characters (the aforementioned Belforts and Henry Hills) who came before him. When considering the long line of grifters and mythmakers this country has produced (and will still), Trump isn’t unique and so his story is told plainly, without special treatment. Abbasi does his best to present a drama that is as unburdened by the present-day baggage of the 21st-century Trump we know so well as possible, while also laying breadcrumbs for how this young New York City-obsessed boy became the man simultaneously on trial and running for president in 2024.

Like Alex Garland in Civil War, Abbasi often lets you draw your own conclusions. Do lines about never admitting defeat have to do with the January 6 riots? Different viewers will walk away with different interpretations. But, occasionally, The Apprentice will slip and allow a winky line of dialogue that so overtly points to what’s happening with contemporary Trump, there can be no mistake. Largely, these moments ring false in a film that otherwise prefers to be taken as a drama on its own cinematic terms. The period spell cast by the throwback visuals and engaging performances is broken in these moments, all for a cheap laugh.

What is an artist’s responsibility, to the truth, to their subject, and to their audience? Where you stand on this topic might inform how you approach and ultimately grapple with The Apprentice. If you are in the camp that an artist has minimal responsibilities outside of creating great art, then you should have zero issue with the idea of a biopic that attempts to get into the headspace of a deeply polarizing public figure currently running for President of the United States. If you think there are more rigid rules for these things, then you might take issue with the timing and handling of the Trump origin story in The Apprentice–it is irresponsible for this film to come out in an election year. But art is not beholden to election cycles. There is no such time as “not the time” for an artist’s point of view. In the end, The Apprentice is a film that delves into the figures who shaped Trump’s worldview while never becoming a hall pass for the bad behavior of men like him.

The Apprentice (2024) REVIEWThe Apprentice has engaging performances and effectively captures its era, though occasionally breaks its own spell for a cheap laugh.ProsSebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong are each great in their roles with their relationship serving as the heart of the film.While some of the artistic visual choices are obvious, they remain effective in immersing us in this moment in time.Maria Bakalova is a standout, capturing the interiority of the business-savvy Ivana who falls in love with Trump and providing real emotion. ConsThe film will occasionally wink to the audience, breaking the period spell being cast and taking us out of the movie.

The Apprentice had its World Premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.