The Apprentice
Director: Ali Abassi
2024
14 April 2025
See
The origin story of Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), was he born or made? This take shows the formative relationship with his mentor Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) a New York wheeler and dealer, lawyer and fixer, in the Saul Goodman criminal lawyer sense.
Think
There are three rules to win, Cohn teaches Trump.
Attack, attack, attack.
Deny everything. Admit nothing.
Claim victory, even when defeated.
Seeing them put into practice is compelling viewing, like how Strong portrayed Kendall Roy in Succession, when he was up, you thought he could pull it off. If this isn’t bravado and bluster, faking it till you make it, I don’t know what is.
Feel
Their relationship is the strongest part of the film. Trump’s relationships with his wife IVana (Maria Bakalova) and brother Fred (Martin Donovan) also worthwhile exposition. It makes me want to watch Abassi’s earlier films before Holy Spider, Border in particular. Why was he almost cancelled? Trump’s retribution? That’s filing a lawsuit.
