If there is anything (I think) we can all agree on, it’s that we do not need any more Donald Trump in our lives. Living in Canada, news and social media across the country is flooded every day with images of the former president and videos of his rally’s and debates, as he and Kamala Harris run against each other in the election for the next President of the United States of America on November 5, 2024. If the tidal wave of the felon and former president to screens these past few weeks were not enough, then Ali Abbasi’s latest film, The Apprentice might just do the trick to finally push viewers over the edge. The film details the coming-up of a young Donald Trump, played by Sebastian Stan, mentored by Jeremy Strong’s Roy Cohn, as Trump enters the world of real estate. While the performances are stellar from the two leads, the overall story, in a world where we all need a lot less of Donald Trump, feels quite gimicky, seeming to act as a reminder (that none of us needed) that this man is, in fact, a monster.

The Apprentice takes its name from the American reality television show produced and hosted by Donald Trump, and tells the story of when Donald Trump himself was the apprentice. Lead by Sebastian Stan, the film details the beginnings of Trump in the real estate world, as he worked with and was mentored by lawyer Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong, to become the ruthless man he still is today. From his beginnings as a landlord, to meeting his first wife Ivana Trump and his bumpy relationship with his family and Roy Cohn, The Apprentice quickly becomes and remains a relentless film detailing the making of the monster we all know today.

Right off the bat, what is great here is great. Sebastian Stan gives an uncanny and brilliant performances as Donald Trump, spanning from his origins as the naive son to the man we now all know. He portrays the character in a way that feels like how I picture the real man would be, while also never adding any unnecessary soul or heart to the man who quite honestly probably does not have one. It is such a unique approach to the classic biopic, where the goals of the genre are often to portray to us the parts of someone’s life that are often misunderstood, or from a new lens. Here, it is clear from all sides (writing, performances, direction) that no one is trying to convince us that Donald Trump is some misunderstood man that isn’t as bad as he seems. Everyone is on the same page that Trump sucks, and this is how he came to be. On top of this, Stan is wonderfully supported by Jeremy Strong as lawyer Roy Cohn, who perfectly portrays Cohn’s vile behaviour and views, and the maker of the monster we know.

I also really liked the VHS style cinematography throughout the film, which worked to tell this story of the past of a man who still persists on modern screens today. There are also some very funny zooms and camera movements here that make is clear that everyone working on this film were on the same page that there is nothing to respect about Trump and Cohn, portraying them in a way that would ensure viewers would not leave the theatre feeling any sort of sympathy for the undeserving men at the centre of their story.

I left the theatre really wondering who this film is for. It’s clear that anything you tell a Trump supporter that is even a smidge critical of the man goes directly in one ear and out the other, so teaching them about how he came to be the way he is, in a way that is quite clearly and deservedly making fun of him is not going to do anything good. On top of this, Donald Trump openly disputing the film won’t help to get his supporters in movie theatre seats. On the flip side, someone like me, who is quite liberal and already hates Donald Trump, can’t really be convinced any more that he is the scum of the earth. They are also clearly (and rightfully so) not trying to tell a different story, or create sympathy towards him, so I once again ask, who was this for. Sure, it’s a unique “making of a monster” story, but when we already know the monster so well, I honestly don’t really care how he was made.

With all of the above to say, I then question, why make this film? Given its release date weeks before the presidential election in the States, it seems to me like it was made to capitalize off of the election. I don’t think this film is trying to sway anyone’s votes. Sure, Donald Trump is quite a fascinating subject, and his story about becoming a literal monster is an interesting one to dissect. But releasing at this time, when the world’s eyes are on the States, international audiences could be seen as the real bait here, removed just enough from the chaos within the USA borders yet still involved enough to be invested in the outcome, and so fascinated by the joke of a man who has already been the leader of the USA once that they will buy a ticket to make fun of him a bit more. Even aside from international audiences, maybe those more blue leaning are simply searching for some respite from the inundation of the red’s Donald Trump of it all, and believe they will find that in a film that knows exactly what kind of monster he is.

There are some small moments where the film becomes bigger than the story of the felon at its centre, where it is the most pointed. Moments where we take a step back and are reminded of the very system that allowed for a man like Donald Trump to be named the leader of, and a system that could allow for this to happen again. For all of its destruction of the man Trump is, I wish it prodded further into the overall broken system that allows men like Trump to have a voice as powerful as his in leading it. Moments where we are reminded of how New York City was abandoned by its leaders in a time of such need in the 70’s, as Trump was rising to power. Moments where we saw just how much corruption there is behind the scenes, so a few men with a lot of money could pull the strings behind everyone else’s backs. Moments where we were reminded that the story is bigger than Donald Trump, and that there is a broken system that allowed him to become president in the first place.

I don’t want it to sound like I am disappointed that The Apprentice is simply a reminder of how awful Donald Trump is. Because frankly, he should be known as nothing but an awful person. But I do question whether this film was necessary, and if it was all just a money grab, banking on ticket sales with the coming US presidential election.

There are some really great things in Ali Abbasi’s latest film, The Apprentice. For starters, the performances from Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan are stellar, making the men they are portraying feel so real, still maintaining the heartless and hollow cores their real-life counterparts exist with. On top of this, the film is at its best when it takes a step back from the Donald Trump of it all and begins to explore a bigger fault in the system that is an America that would allow someone like Trump to become President. But in telling the story of the rise of Donald Trump in the real-estate world, I question who this film is really for at all. Because I, for one, believe that the last person I want to see any more of on my screen is Donald Trump, even if I am being reminded how awful of a person he is. This is a horrifying true “making of a monster” film, but for those of us who already knew he was a monster, there is not really anything more that needs to be said. And for those who don’t believe he is a monster and need the most convincing? I fear that they won’t be watching this film at all.

The Apprentice will be released in theatres in Canada on October 11. Image courtesy of Mongrel Media.