How The Apprentice navigates the narcissistic hall of mirrors concealing the real Donald Trump
No movie could stand a chance of decoding the all-bamboozling enigma that is Donald Trump – but The Apprentice achieves some success, writes Leigh Paatsch.
Leigh Paatsch
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From an impressive bio pic on the formative years of Donald Trump to one of the best documentaries of the year, there’s plenty on offer at the movies this week.
THE APPRENTICE (M)
Director: Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider)
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova
Rating: ★★★½
Meet the don behind the Donald
The perfect alternate title for this compelling biopic can only be Donald Trump: The Early Years.
Even though this brilliantly acted movie wraps up its storytelling brief some 25 years before Trump took residence in the White House, its relevance to where America finds itself right now could not be more pointed.
(It also explains why The Apprentice is struggling to find a release in its own country. No major Hollywood studio dared pick it up, lest the famously litigious and vengeful Trump take aim in their direction on the eve of a possible second presidency.)
While The Apprentice will never be regarded as a great piece of work, it is indeed a very good one for the most part.
If it does come up short in the eyes of some, it is only because no movie could ever stand a chance of decoding the all-bamboozling enigma that is Donald Trump. Even at his advanced age, it seems as if the more we know of the man, the less we understand him.
Nevertheless, The Apprentice does achieve some success in navigating the narcissistic hall of mirrors concealing the real Trump, purely by zeroing in on the one man (dis)credited with schooling the future President in the dark arts of diversion.
His name is Roy Cohn.
Played with an unworldly combo of confidence and calm by Succession star Jeremy Strong, Cohn is one of those types of lawyers who not only know where the bodies are buried, but may have picked up a shovel and helped with the dig.
In New York City in the mid-1970s, Cohn’s commanding sway over a colourful clientele of ‘connected’ types catches the eye of a young and impressionable businessman-to-be named Donald Trump (played with charismatic restraint by Sebastian Stan).
Tired of waiting for his father, a second-tier slumlord, to hand over the reins of the family company, Trump petitions the slick’n’slippery Cohn to speed-up an ascent to the big time.
In what became a famous exchange between the pair, Cohn explains to his young charge the three rules he chooses to live by.
“First, you must always attack, attack, attack,” states Cohn. “After that, you admit nothing, and deny everything. And no matter what, always claim victory and never admit defeat.”
If nothing else, The Apprentice proves there was once a time where Donald Trump was a very good listener.
The Apprentice is in cinemas now
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (M)
Rating: ★★★★½
General release
This is both one of the best documentaries of 2024, and one of the year’s most moving and memorable movie experiences. Anyone expecting a simple, sanitised celebration of the late Christopher Reeve – either for his iconic screen deeds as Superman, or for his dedicated campaigning for disabled rights in the wake of a terrible accident – will be truly surprised and fascinated by the complex human being revealed here. Though the doco has been produced with both the blessing and involvement of Reeves’ surviving family, the filmmakers were given full licence to approach their complicated subject without glossing over his many intriguing (and telling) flaws.
The first section of the doco charts Reeves’ meteoric rise in his mid-twenties as the Man of Steel, achieving a level of fame that definitely went to his head while leaving him unfairly typecast for the rest of his days. Then comes the shocking flashpoint that charts a whole new course through life for Reeves: a freak horseriding accident that leaves him totally paralysed from the neck down. Remarkably, we learn it took some considerable time for Reeves to embrace the most important and lastingly influential role of his career, as an relentless advocate for the disabled. The reasons for his initial reluctance are detailed bluntly but respectfully, as are his lifelong failings as a father and husband.
Docos as refreshingly honest, transparent and insightful as this rarely happen along these days. Highly recommended.
THE CRITIC (M)
Rating: ★★★
General release
Those who appreciate great actors will already be aware that there won’t be too many more movies left on the ledger for the wonderful Ian McKellen. Even if The Critic won’t be mentioned in the same breath as the veteran thesp’s finest performances, he still brings a presence and a panache to this atmospheric period drama that few could ever hope to match.
McKellen stars as Jimmy Erskine, a widely-loathed yet much-read theatre critic in 1930s London. A change of ownership at Jimmy’s place of employment dictates that he should tone down the poison-pen act, or he will be shown the door. Instead, Jimmy keeps up the take-downs – most of which are aimed at a not-so-talented starlet (Gemma Arterton) – while also making a few devious moves that may secure his tenure for years to come. Though a darkish final act possibly overcomplicates a simple comeuppance for a certain character, McKellen’s gilt-edged gift of the gab shines brightly throughout.
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Originally published as How The Apprentice navigates the narcissistic hall of mirrors concealing the real Donald Trump
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