"The Apprentice" Movie Review: A Bold Dive into Donald Trump's Origin Story

With the U.S. presidential election just weeks away, Ali Abbasi’s provocative film The Apprentice offers a fictionalized glimpse into the early life of one of the most polarizing figures in modern history, Donald J. Trump. This ribald portrayal—starring Sebastian Stan as a young Trump and Jeremy Strong as his notorious mentor Roy Cohn—turns Trump’s rise to fame into a captivating mix of high-stakes drama, sleaze, and scandal.

A Star is Born in a Tarnished New York City

The film, which hit theaters just ahead of the elections, presents a grainy, almost nostalgic look at Trump’s youth, beginning in the 1970s when New York City was teetering on the edge of ruin. The streets are filthy, buildings crumbling, and Trump, then in his late twenties, has grand plans to restore some of the city's glory. His target? The run-down Commodore Hotel in Midtown, a project that he believes will catapult him into the ranks of Manhattan’s elite.

The Apprentice doesn’t shy away from the grit of the city or the cutthroat nature of Trump’s ambition. Abbasi’s direction, coupled with a razor-sharp script from Gabriel Sherman, paints a world where success comes at a high cost. The film vividly captures Trump’s journey, from knocking on tenant doors to collect rent for his family’s real estate business to striking multi-million-dollar deals in Manhattan’s opulent boardrooms.

Roy Cohn: The Dark Mentor

One of the most compelling elements of The Apprentice is the relationship between Trump and his mentor, Roy Cohn. Played with sleazy brilliance by Jeremy Strong, Cohn is the embodiment of everything ruthless in American politics and business. As Joseph McCarthy’s former right-hand man during the anti-Communist witch hunts of the 1950s, Cohn brings a cynical, manipulative edge to the film. His mentorship is a turning point in Trump’s career, pushing the young businessman to new heights of success but also deeper into moral compromise.

Cohn’s influence on Trump is palpable throughout the film, with the two forming a mutually beneficial relationship that is both captivating and disturbing to watch. Their dynamic, as brought to life by Stan and Strong, is a masterclass in subtle manipulation and power play.

The Women in Trump’s Life: Ivana and Excess

While Cohn represents the dark mentor in Trump’s life, Maria Bakalova’s portrayal of Ivana Trump offers a glimmer of something more hopeful. As Trump’s Czech model girlfriend (and later wife), Ivana is shown as a woman with both strength and skepticism. However, her relationship with Trump is overshadowed by his obsession with power and the glitz of Manhattan’s high society.

The film takes a stark turn when it depicts one of the most controversial aspects of Trump’s life: the alleged sexual assault of Ivana Trump, an event that was detailed in the 1993 book Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump. Abbasi doesn’t shy away from this dark moment, staging the assault with brutal honesty that leaves a lasting impact on viewers.

The Rise of a Media Mogul

As Trump’s empire grows, so does his obsession with his public image. By the time the 1980s roll around, The Apprentice offers sly nods to Trump’s burgeoning media presence, with scenes flickering into the grainy world of analog TV, reminding viewers of his transition from businessman to television personality.

Trump’s larger-than-life persona, complete with his signature orange hair and brash attitude, is juxtaposed with the grim reality of the world he’s building—one of excess, shady deals, and endless self-promotion. Abbasi’s direction here is particularly sharp, blending archival footage with fictional scenes to create a sense of the larger-than-life character that Trump has become.

A Tragic American Tale

While The Apprentice is undoubtedly entertaining, it also carries a sense of tragic inevitability. By the film’s end, Trump has outgrown his mentor Roy Cohn, surpassed his tyrannical father Fred Trump, and built a veritable empire that would soon take him to the pinnacle of American politics. Yet, despite all his success, the film leaves viewers with a sense of unease about the consequences of such unchecked ambition.

Abbasi’s portrayal of Trump’s rise is both gleeful and grotesque, a gaudy spectacle that mirrors the excesses of the man himself. While the film encourages viewers to laugh at Trump’s vanity and braggadocio, it also forces them to confront the darker reality of his influence, both on those around him and on the country at large.

A Bold, Unflinching Portrayal

The Apprentice is not for the faint of heart. Rated R for its graphic depiction of sexual assault, illegal drugs, and a myriad of questionable activities, the film pulls no punches in its portrayal of Trump’s early life. Yet it is this unflinching look at one of the most infamous men in American history that makes the film so compelling.

With stellar performances from Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, sharp direction from Ali Abbasi, and a script that delves deep into the complexities of power and ambition, The Apprentice is a must-watch for anyone looking to understand the origins of Donald J. Trump—and the impact he has had on the world.