Ein Einblick hinter die Kulissen des amerikanischen Imperiums: der Film zeigt den Machtaufstieg des jungen Donald Trump durch einen faustischen Deal mit dem einflussreichen Anwalt und politischen Fixer Roy Cohn ... ganz großartiges Biopic und ein wundervoller New York Film von "Lichtspiele Kalk"-Lieblings-Regisseur Ali Abbasi ("Border", "Hioly Spider") ... Mit Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong u.a.

"People of all political stripes and prejudices should give The Apprentice a try, for it is nothing short of extraordinary. The performances are stellar, the pacing both restrained and engaging, the realization of Cohn and Trump’s world is top-notch, and the dynamic between the two is as captivating as any." Jason Gorber, AV Club (2024)

"Sebastian Stan and "Succession"'s Jeremy Strong give career-best performances as Trump and Roy Cohn – the notorious attorney who became his mentor just as he was seeking to escape his father's shadow. Displaying a glint of charm that never fully eclipses Trump's unwavering ambition, Stan's portrayal perfectly contrasts with Strong's, who renders Cohn as a sinister and fear-mongering practitioner of the dark arts in American public life. Continuing his singular examination of the coruscating nature of power that he began in "Border" and "Holy Spider", Abbasi here widens his perspective to examine a city in the throes of a power grab. Different film stock is used to reflect the decades and changing fortunes of New York, as it emerged from near-bankruptcy to become a financial behemoth. And at its centre lie two figures who would cut a path that reflected and then reshaped a country's psyche." Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival 2024

"Unexpectedly nuanced... Both actors, especially Jeremy Strong, are gripping in a coming-of-age story that portrays the younger Trump somewhat sympathetically." Kyle Smith, The Wall Street Journal (2024)

"The most disturbing aspect of THE APPRENTICE is how familiar this all is by now and how numb we are to its depravity. What The Apprentice does have to offer is a masterful slate of performances that far exceed the usual mimicry of many buzzy Hollywood biopics." Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly (2024)

"Vom Pakt zwischen einem teuflischen Mentor und seinem gelehrigen Schützling: Das Biopic erzählt auf atemberaubende Weise, wie Trump zu Trump wurde. New York in den 1970er-Jahren. Noch steht der aufstrebende Millionärssohn Donald J. Trump (Sebastian Stan) am Anfang seiner Karriere. Er will in der Immobilienbranche von Manhattan auf eigene Faust reich und anerkannt werden, er weiß nur nicht wie – bis er dem Mann begegnet, der zu einer der prägendsten Figuren seines Aufstiegs wird: Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Der gewiefte Rechtsberater und Fixer im Politgeschäft erkennt sofort das gewaltige Potenzial des jungen Aufsteigers. Akribisch schult er Trump darin, wie man Macht und grenzenlosen Reichtum durch Betrug, Erpressung und die Manipulation der öffentlichen Meinung anhäuft. Und er teilt mit ihm die Lust, Furcht zu verbreiten." Hamburg Film Festival 2024