Abbasi’s entertaining Trump biopic features award-winning powerful and stunning performances

Since its announcement, the Donald Trump biopic has had a looming shadow of controversy surrounding it. Given the life story of the former president, it is easy to see why people would be for or against it. The Apprentice Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival to resounding applause. Written by Gabriel Sherman and directed by Ali Abbasi, the story follows Trump’s early career and his quest to expand his real estate under the guidance of attorney Roy Coun. Although the film is exactly what you would expect, it comes with stunning performances and an exciting script that enchants with its drama.

The Apprentice is a standard biopic that informs and entertains

At the height of economic failure, 1980s New York needed a huge face lift to bring revenue back into the city. Where the government has seemingly failed to provide promising solutions, one man has a vision to transform the Big Apple for long-term profit. Donald J. Trump (Sebastian Stan), a real estate mogul with vision, was the man with a plan. The only thing that stopped him from realizing his vision? His father. Only when he meets Roy Cohen (Jeremy Strong), the broken lawyer with just about every government official in his pocket, do things start to go his way.

Roy’s 3 rules for success are simple: 1) attack (x3), 2) admit nothing while denying everything, and 3) claim victory and never admit defeat. Trump quickly adapted the guidelines and even continued to claim them as his own. And while the script adequately showcases how Trump became the man we know today, there is a subtle sense that this was all Cohn’s doing, absolving him of accountability. It didn’t take long for Abbasi and co-screenwriter Gabriel Sherman to settle down. Fortunately, by the end, that feeling subsided based on the way Trump treated people around him in the absence of Cohen’s influence.

Abbasi’s narrative balances controversy and humor

As written, this script is bound to stir up some controversy, no matter how you feel about its subject matter. But one thing is for sure: this is a damn good movie. Balancing the serious moments with humorous undertones, The Apprentice is the kind of biopic that meets expectations with its storytelling and brilliance. Where the film calls for more drama and flair, Abbasi doubles down to ramp up the entertainment. He’s also careful not to overdo it like most biopics would. Instead, Abbasi caters to viewers who just want to be entertained and informed.

While the film is often on the nose for delivering the corrupt backstories of its characters, it’s the performances that drive home the entertainment. Stan as Trump is simply remarkable. He perfects the speaking tone and facial antics with precision but holds back enough to prevent a caricature performance. However, the biggest standout for me was Strong as Cohn. How Strong manages to be devoid of human emotion through his eyes is brilliant work. It takes an enormous effort to create a believable character modeled after one of the US’s most notorious public figures. It’s early, but this is the best performance actor.

A fine feature centered around the rise of a controversial businessman, The Apprentice Turning the biopic genre upside down to present a truly worthwhile film. With top-notch performances from Stan and Strong, this is the kind of movie you should rush to see, no matter how you feel about its subject matter. Through appropriately dazzling sequences and simple storytelling, Abbasi’s latest offers good insight into Trump’s rise to power. Whether this will change your opinion about him is not the point, but consider the film a treat thanks to its entertaining structure.

The Apprentice Now playing in theaters. The film is 120 minutes long and has been rated for sexual content, some graphic nudity, language, sexual assault and drug use.