Donald Trump has denounced The Apprentice.  Not to be confused with his hit reality show of the past, The Apprentice is a docudrama chronicling the relationship between Trump and lawyer Roy Cohn.  But, it seems as though the former president has misinterpreted Ali Abbasi’s movie as a biopic on his life as a businessman-turn-infamous mogul.  There are biographical elements to The Apprentice , but the focus isn’t specific enough to be a Trump biopic.  If Trump had stepped back, he would’ve seen that Abbasi has made a corporate character study – Scarface for a new generation if you will.

Known for his spiky and cold-blooded opinions, Cohn (Jeremy Strong of TV’s Succession) sees potential in Donald (Sebastian Stan of I, Tonya).  The key entry point being Trump’s confidence and his authentic aspirations to be a leader, as well as a sheepish demeanour that would unintentionally welcome manipulation.  Cohn takes Donald under his wing, which includes private sessions about how to use people.

Over the course of their careers, including a watershed moment about influencing a decision through blackmail, Donald embraces Roy’s guidance and fashions the advice so it applies to intense levels of intimidation and self-appointed clout.  The “rules” to success are still at play, but they’ve taken on a different intent – like a game of crooked “broken telephone”.  The film treats this as a misunderstanding that Cohn can’t control the reigns of, as Donald finds his own road to success that is either undetected by others, such as his father Fred (Martin Donovan of Saved!) who Donald vies for approval from, or identified by people who have been burned by him, like his first wife Ivana (Academy Award nominee Maria Bakalova).

Using an outsider’s perspective that has the visual flare of handheld video, filmmaker Ali Abbasi (Border, Holy Spider) provides viewers with a brutal take on “success”.  Abbasi’s film isn’t about Cohn or Trump, but rather about how, despite the assurance of these powerful people, the system for “success” is changing and usually without compassion or comprehension.  While the film doesn’t excuse the exhibited behaviour, it also shows how lonely these people are after the tide rolls by them or when they’re rising to the top.

With such assured direction, as well as sensational performances and a fine-tuned narrative, The Apprentice solidifies itself as an instant classic.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie