"The Apprentice" in theaters Donald Trump doesn't deserve a movie this good
In his biographical drama "The Apprentice", Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi tells the story of the life of the up-and-coming Donald Trump in the 70s and 80s - simple but excitingly staged.
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- "The Apprentice" by Ali Abbasi highlights Donald Trump's rise in the business world and focuses on his ruthless apprenticeship under mentor Ray Cohn.
- The film uses a nostalgic visual style reminiscent of 70s crime dramas and features a remarkable Trump portrayal by Sebastian Stan.
- Despite some viewers' opinions that the film is too simplistic, it effectively shows Trump's transformation and success, highlighting his controversial characteristics and relationships.
Making a movie about arguably the most controversial, controversial and questionable US president of the past few decades certainly doesn't sound like an easy undertaking.
The film is likely to generate all the more attention because Donald Trump is constantly making headlines again. But the courageous Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi has taken this risk and has already generated a lot of discussion in advance.
What kind of movie is this supposed to be? A satire? A propaganda film? A reckoning for Donald Trump's numerous inhumane statements?
In fact, "The Apprentice" is none of these things. As the title suggests, the film is about Donald Trump's career and rapid rise in the business world and tells his story without judging or condemning much. It is also noted at the beginning that artistic liberties were taken in the realization of the narrative - which is particularly evident in the final phase.
Abbasi is a master of staging suspenseful thrillers, which he proved formidably with "Holy Spider". With its narrative style and atmosphere, "The Apprentice" is reminiscent of films such as "Wall Street", classic gangster dramas or cop thrillers from the 1970s. This is also beautifully realized visually - in a narrow 4:3 aspect ratio and with grainy, rather pale images that create a nostalgic effect. The movie is also accompanied by cool disco hits and classic 70s and 80s pop music.
Another bigger monster
The story focuses on Trump's training as a ruthless "killer" in the business world and his relationship with his mentor, the unscrupulous lawyer Ray Cohn. Jeremy Strong plays this character superbly, with an ice-cold gaze, quick-witted remarks and gangster slang that sounds like Italian-American mafiosi.
Cohn teaches Trump the three most important rules for survival in the shark tank: 1) Attack. Attack. Attack. 2) Admit nothing. Deny everything. 3) Claim victory and never concede defeat. Trump implements these guiding principles so well that he becomes an even bigger monster than Cohn himself.
And they bring him more success than expected. He succeeds in building the super-luxurious, gigantic hotel "The Commodore" and the "Trump Tower" in New York, and frees himself from any tax payments to the city for the buildings. The more successful Trump becomes in the business world, the more pronounced his egocentric, unscrupulous qualities come to the fore and the more inhuman his behavior becomes.
This also manifests itself in his relationship with his wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova). The two getting-to-know-each-other phase at the beginning of the film certainly has its charm, even if it does contain a little too much kitsch. As the story progresses, he becomes completely estranged from her and becomes abusive towards her in the worst possible way. Only the death of his brother Fred brings a spark of humanity back into Donald.
Golden hair, orange face
Alongside Bakalova, who plays the role of Ivana Trump with boldness, pride and acumen, the greatest praise is due to the lead actor. Sebastian Stan is amazingly good as Donald Trump, both in the way he speaks and in his gestures and facial expressions.
He even moves his mouth exactly as Trump does. The golden mat on his head, which becomes more and more golden as the film progresses, while his face becomes increasingly orange in color, is also visually fitting. Abbasi can't resist a silly remark from Ivana about this development.
Even if "The Apprentice" might come across as too "simple" for some viewers as a film about one of the most polarizing entrepreneurs and politicians of all time, Ali Abbasi has nevertheless succeeded in making a surprisingly good biopic.
"The Apprentice" is now showing in all blue Cinema cinemas.