The dramatized biopic ‘The Apprentice,’ leaning heavily on factual events, doesn’t exactly bring anything fresh to our understanding of Donald Trump. Given the extensive spotlight he has courted for decades, virtually every detail of his life has been meticulously examined. However, the film masterfully offers a snapshot of Trump’s ascension in the 70s and 80s, closely guided by the notoriously reviled figure, Roy Cohn. The influence of this perfect storm partnership continues to have profound implications even today.
The script cleverly centers around pivotal moments in Trump’s professional and private life. While it features conjectured dialogues and dramatizes contentious incidents from Trump’s past, the depiction is often less than flattering. But it’s the profoundly captivating performances by Sebastian Stan breathing life into a naive yet driven young Trump, and Jeremy Strong as the morally bankrupt Cohn, that truly steal the show. Viewers see a familiar narrative, harnessing elements of a haunting Frankenstein saga.
At the beginning of ‘The Apprentice,’ Trump is the definition of an underdog: a charming hustler with big dreams, ill-fitting budget suits, and little actual sway. Trump’s job is to collect rent from the financially struggling tenants residing in ‘Trump Village,’ an apartment complex in Coney Island that was developed by his calculating but frosty father, Fred.
Fred sees Donald as nothing more than a flimsy improver; his older son Freddy, suffering from alcoholism and employed as an airline pilot, faces his father’s raw disdain. After a convened meeting with Strong’s Roy Cohn, an excited Donald briefs his father about potential avenues of collaboration with Cohn. Dismissively, Fred labels Cohn a repeat offender, having been indicted three times. In response, Donald emphatically states that regardless of the accusations, Cohn has an unblemished conviction record, asserting his influence over McCarthy’s endeavors while still a prodigious youngster.
Apparently unfazed by these warnings, Trump plunges into an alliance with the brazen, collagen-infused, crude yet alarming Cohn. Cohn is characterized as a man not above resorting to underhanded tactics like scandalous photographs and unlawful secret recordings for blackmailing adversaries. In his book of rules, ideas like truth and morality are nothing more than convenient illusions. According to what he dubiously terms the ‘Cohn Playbook,’ the winning strategy is simple: strike first, deny all charges, never concede defeat, and above all, consistently proclaim triumph.
As the classic KC and the Sunshine Band’s ‘I’m Your Boogie Man’ plays in the backdrop, we witness Trump’s burgeoning self-assurance and decisive actions, including the rapid romantic entanglement with a reluctant but eventually enamored Czech model, Ivana Zelnickova. Stan’s portrayal of Trump’s transforming personality and physicality is nothing short of genius. He gradually shifts from being Trump, the man, into Trump, an icon that transcends reality.
The metamorphosis is profound: Trump evolves into a larger, showier, wordier, more troublesome individual. His adept manipulation of the media, his less-than-compassionate break-up with Ivana once his attraction fades, his gloating display of success in front of his father, and his growing independence from mentor Roy Cohn form a stirring narrative arc. All the while, Cohn faces a multitude of financial issues and battles grave health problems.
A startling scene unfolds in Mar-a-Lago, where Trump, far removed from any semblance of empathy or compassion, gives an ailing Cohn a pair of cheap, conspicuous Trump-branded cufflinks as a birthday present, marking the occasion with a macabre dinner party. The performances by both Stan and Strong are nothing short of masterful, as they navigate the complexities of their characters with finesse.
Stan meticulously crafts an impression of Trump, a man passionately devoted to his ambition, regardless of the consequences. However, Stan successfully refuses to make Trump a one-dimensional character, implanting a strain of likability beneath the surface. In contrast, Strong disappears into his character, impressively encapsulating Cohn’s steadfast belief in his patriotic greatness, and his conviction that the ends vindicate any means, however morally questionable.
As Cohn’s life draws to a close, marred by devastation, loathing, duplicity, and brutality, the audience almost finds themselves sympathizing with his solitude and despair. The emphasis here is on the ‘almost.’
‘The Apprentice’ succeeds in crafting a compelling origin tale of a divisive, contentious, and influential figure in American society. To some, he is a superhero who can do no wrong. To others, his very existence epitomizes the essence of a villain.