The Apprentice Review – A Masterpiece, Brilliant Performances, Wild
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Friday, 10 January 2025 11:12
- Written by Janet Walker
The Apprentice, from Briarcliff Entertainment, presents the early days of New York developer Donald Trump, his rise from Queens to riding high on Fifth Avenue, and how an encounter with infamous attorney Roy M. Cohn changed his life.
The film begins with a young Donald Trump, played brilliantly by Sebastian Stan, standing in front of Grand Central Station, in the 1970, at what was once the Commodore hotel, and with a vision unmatched by city leaders, he saw the future, a bustling rejuvenated neighborhood, and tourists returning to the best city in the world. Right now, however, the hotel was a boarded up, dilapidated magnet for seedy dime tricks, homeless, and junkies.
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His vision for himself was equally elevating. He saw himself as an exclusive property, before anyone would have looked twice at him. As the youngest member of an ultra-exclusive boy's club, the scene cuts to "The Donald" explaining the club and its members to his date. We understand before he does that when she excuses herself to powder her nose, she is leaving. While he is sitting at the table, infamous New York attorney Roy M. Cohn is staring at him. The two look eyes. Cohn, sends his assistant Russel, played by Ben Sullivan.
Suddenly Donald is sitting at the table with known members of New York's organized crime families, who joke about Cohn's ability to get them off, when needed. We learn here that Trump does not drink alcohol, he explains he doesn't want anything that will slow him down, and he is fixated, singularly focused on his future.
At this point Cohn, played masterfully by Jeremy Strong, who is gay, is smitten with Donald, and Donald is equally smitten by Cohn's power, abilities to gain the upper hand in every situation, and willingness to mentor him. For outsiders, Cohn's method of moving to the top is all about gaining the upper hand on your opponent before they even enter the arena.
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We also meet Donald's family, as his father, Fred, played by Martin Donovan, who built Trump Village in Queens, New York, a village of apartment buildings, where Donald, by day works collecting rent from tenants. Trump explains to Cohn his family is being sued for discrimination, as the feds are allegedly, they discrimination against black tenants.
As the case is won, Cohn takes Trump into a small interior room in his home, and we see how every room in his house was wired for sound. At his very lavish and debauched parties, Manhattan's movers and shakers would be relaxed enough to live their true lives, and Cohn, always understanding the importance of the secret, made sure he had everyone in his pocket.
The Apprentice is more than the story of how a young Donald Trump started his real-estate business in 1970s and '80s New York with the helping hand of infamous lawyer Roy M. Cohn, who was known for prosecuting Julius and Ethel Rosenburg for treason and sending them to the electric chair. It is about understanding that Manhattan is about the hustle, from the street corner pimp to the halls of justice, everyone and everything is for sale and Darwin's theory of jungle supremacy is the rule.
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I felt like I was watching Donald Trump, Sebastian Stan not only embodied the New York City developer, he became him. There are scenes when he is being mentored by Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong, when simple facial expressions were exact, played with so much authenticity that, because of all the media coverage we, the audience, has seen on Trump in his various daily activities, every mannerism, facial movement, tilt of the head, simple seemingly overlooked mannerism were perfect. I was impressed with the performance.
Jeremy Strong continues to take roles that challenge and stretch him as an actor, unwilling to stay too long in a confront zone, he becomes everything one admires and loathes about New York attorneys. He played both the dizzying heights the legal profession in Manhattan affords and the desperation when friends depart.
The Apprentice is a brilliant, impressive masterpiece of lies, deception, determination and the Manhattan hustle. A bit of history, a bit of fiction, The Apprentice is a must see.
The Apprentice received three Independent Spirit Award nominations. Best Director Ali Abbasi, Best Lead Performance Sebastian Stan, and Best Editing for Olivier Bugge Coutté, and Olivia Neergaard-Holm.
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Country: Canada.
Language: English.
Runtime: 122 minutes.
Director: Ali Abbasi.
Producer: Ali Abbasi, Daniel Bekerman, Julianne Forde, Jacob Jarek, Louis Tisne, Ruth Treacy.
Executive Producer: Tom Alexander, Noor Alfallah, Hussain Amarshi, Mark Amin, Amy Baer, Fred Benenson, Lee Broda, David Brown, Andy Cohen, Brian Tyler Cohen, Ben Crowley, Olivia Danylchuk, Greg Denny, Matt Diskin, Anders Erden, Andrew Frank, Daniel Goldenberg, Moira Holmes, Phil Hunt, Jack A. Liechtung, Neil Mathieson, Nathan Wing, Kristy Neville, Tom Ortenberg, Mike Rose, Compton Ross, Thorsten Schumacher, James Shani, Gabriel Sherman, Ryan Donnell Smith, Blair Ward, Christina Wood, Levi Woodward.
Writer: Gabriel Sherman.
Cast: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Martin Donovan, Maria Bakalova, Catherine McNally, Charlie Carrick, Ben Sullivan, Mark Rendall, Joe Pingue, Ron Lea, Edie Inksetter, Matt Baram, Moni Ogunsuyi, Brad Austin, Stuart, Hughes, Jim Monaco, Clare Coulter, Hume Baugh, Tammy Boundy, Jaclyn Vogl, James Downing, Jai Jai Jones, Bruce Beaton, Frank Moore, James Madge, Ian D. Clark, Valerie O'Connor, Chris Owens, Jason Blicker, Sam Rosenthal, Tom Barret, Ben Bell, Iona Rose Mackay, Samantha Espie.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.
