As a historian and political analyst with over three decades of experience, I find this film “The Apprentice” to be an intriguing exploration of the relationship between Roy Cohn and Donald Trump, two larger-than-life characters who have left indelible marks on American politics.
Initially, it appeared uncertain if American audiences would be able to watch the movie titled The Apprentice. This film, helmed by director Ali Abbasi and scripted by former New York Magazine writer Gabriel Sherman, portrays the tumultuous relationship between Donald Trump and his mentor Roy Cohn, as well as Trump’s ascension to become a notorious New York City developer. Following its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May, securing a U.S. distributor proved challenging, causing concern that political pressure might prevent its release. Trump himself sent a cease-and-desist letter to the filmmakers and his spokesperson Steven Cheung described it as “pure garbage” and “election interference” to various media outlets. However, Trump’s legal threats often lack substance, and no lawsuit ensued (though a $400,000 Kickstarter campaign was launched to finance the film’s defense). Eventually, The Apprentice hit theaters on October 11.
It seems that Trump believes the film won’t pose any threat to him. Generally speaking, yes, he appears correct in this assumption. The filmmakers faced a daunting challenge by selecting Trump, a public figure who is extensively known and often sensationalized, as their subject. Over the years, I’ve closely followed political news, and Trump has been a recurring theme for me as a journalist. His presence constantly dominates headlines, with journalists dissecting various aspects of his biography or attempting to analyze his psychology in search of fresh insights. However, I remain skeptical that there is a definitive key to understanding him, and if such a key exists, it has yet to be uncovered by The Apprentice.
In my perspective as a supporter, the film doesn’t offer a fresh take on Trump, possibly because there wasn’t much unexplored content to uncover at that time. The story commences in the early ’70s, a pivotal yet humbling phase for the ex-president. He’s busy collecting rent for his disgraced father, Fred, who’s entangled in a federal lawsuit due to his racially discriminatory housing practices. Trump is eager to dismiss this suit not out of loyalty towards Fred, but because of his ambition. He yearns for Fred’s approval for a daring Manhattan development project, and Fred refuses to grant it. However, fortune seems to favor the bold. Trump joins a nightclub where Roy Cohn, a right-wing attorney, is also a member. Upon Cohn’s interest in the young Trump, the budding entrepreneur sees an opening. He implores Cohn to represent him and his father, and Cohn consents, partly driven by his genuine animosity towards the civil rights movement.
The early relationship between Trump and Cohn sets the stage for Trump’s rise to the elite of New York City. Cohn is one of the most significant figures in Trump’s life; it can be argued that without Cohn’s influence, there would be no Trump as we know him today. Sebastian Stan portrays an early version of Trump, who appears awkward but shows glimpses of coldness and ruthlessness, making him a fitting apprentice for Cohn, played with intense ferocity by Jeremy Strong. While Cohn sees Trump as a blank slate he can easily shape, Trump is not entirely unsuspecting. He uses Cohn just as Cohn uses him, and although Trump may be taken aback by Cohn’s hidden homosexuality, he is less disturbed by the attorney’s underhanded tactics and conservative politics. Cohn manages to make a federal lawsuit vanish, which is all Trump truly desires (In The Apprentice, Cohn threatens a federal prosecutor with photos of a gay encounter; later, the government offers the Trumps a settlement without requiring an admission of guilt).
The film’s first part hints at subversive elements, as it shows how easily the media industry was manipulated by Trump and Cohn during Trump’s early rise, portraying them as figures that the media could not resist sensationalizing. This relationship between Trump, Cohn, and the media is a key aspect of the film. Although the movie concludes before Trump’s reality TV career started, it hints at the beginning of the machine that eventually produced Trump. It’s possible that Hollywood’s hesitation towards The Apprentice might be attributed to this complicity. Trump, in many ways, is a product of the entertainment world as much as he is family money and unapologetic bigotry. The film also portrays Trump in a new light, not typically seen as a student, but rather as an alpha male who prefers to be perceived as self-made rather than mentored. However, Strong’s portrayal of Cohn is captivating, even for those familiar with Trump’s old acquaintance. Roger Stone, who was introduced to Trump by Cohn and played by Mark Rendall in the film, praised Strong’s performance as “remarkably accurate.” (It seems he would know.) One of the film’s most chilling moments comes when Strong’s character defends his role in executing Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for alleged Soviet espionage. He expresses a deep desire to see the “communists die” for their supposed crimes, adding that Ethel had betrayed her country and therefore had to be punished.
The film is strongest when it highlights Cohn’s character, as Trump’s understanding of Cohn’s teachings progresses, the focus on their relationship becomes less apparent, and the movie starts to lose momentum when it delves into familiar grounds and Trump takes center stage. Interestingly, The Apprentice shines brightest when Cohn is in the spotlight, not only due to Strong’s impressive performance but because of Cohn’s controversial opinions and aggressive behavior that he instilled in Trump. Although Cohn’s tutelage of Trump isn’t new information, he has been somewhat overshadowed by his former protege’s success, and their partnership is less recognized than it deserves to be. Despite not being a documentary, the film might help shed light on the truth. As veteran investigative journalist Wayne Barrett once told Washington Post reporters Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher, “I just see Roy in him,” adding, “Both of them are attack dogs.
In the latter part of the movie, Trump’s monstrous traits escalate following refinement initially under his father, later under Cohn, transforming into the Trump we are familiar with today. He is characterized by an insatiable greed, and he brutally assaults his wife Ivana in a prolonged and violent sequence. At first, Trump exhibits minimal political aspirations; it’s Cohn, not Trump, who harbors some twisted ideology. However, Stone encourages Trump to align with Ronald Reagan, whom he believes represents all the values that Trump cares about. Reagan’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” resonates with Trump, and he keeps a campaign button on his desk, a reminder of these words.
As Cohn’s health deteriorates due to AIDS, the film suggests that Trump has distanced himself from his mentor and minimized Cohn’s impact on him. Toward the end of their relationship, Trump is seen giving Cohn a set of what appear to be expensive cuff links, but which are revealed to be imitations. The film implies that Trump has manipulated history by downplaying Cohn’s role in shaping his tactics and strategies. In 2016, Trump told the Post that he credits himself for his own methods, stating, “I don’t believe I learned those tactics from Roy at all. I think my natural instinct has always been to approach things in this way.
The movie suggests that Strong’s Cohn claimed responsibility for shaping Trump into who he is today, to which Trump responded that he made himself. However, if this is the only insight the film provides, it’s not very enlightening. Although the portrayal of Cohn might be well-done, the movie presents Trump as more of a caricature than a real person, even though he is both terrifying and familiar due to his infamous actions. The film becomes repetitive because we already know about Trump’s alleged sexual misconduct, racism, greed, lies, and authoritarianism. To some people, this information is fake news. Despite Trump not winning re-election yet, the race is close enough that he might still do so. Regardless of whether you support MAGA or not, The Apprentice will likely have as little impact on Trump as other scandals, such as E. Jean Carroll’s story and the infamous Access Hollywood tape. Trump was confident that The Apprentice wouldn’t affect him because he believed it didn’t matter. The filmmakers’ struggle to portray a deeper truth about Trump is their problem, but it’s also a challenge for us as viewers.
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2024-10-21 15:54