eeply ironically, the film opens with a clip of Richard Nixon, exclaiming how he’s not a crook (though he’s about to resign from the presidency). This segues to a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) at a nightclub, where he scopes out the rich and famous patronizers, including notorious lawyer and political influencer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), who hobnobs with gangsters, elected officials, and societal elites, and continually fends off indictments. “Why are you so obsessed with these people?” As Fred Trump’s (Martin Donovan) son, Donald currently runs a real estate organization in New York, but he’s relegated to going door to door at various rundown apartment buildings to collect rent – mostly from delusional tenants who desperately wish to avoid paying up.

From the first shots, this biopic embraces a certain over-stylization, opting for rollicking music, quick camera movements, clips of archival footage, harsh language, and comic interactions, as Stan gives a phenomenally understated impression of the title role (his mouth movements, voice/pronunciations, and turns of phrases are amusingly accurate), employing recognizable quips and a signature coiffure. Interestingly, Donald is moderately sympathetic in the beginning, more of a naïve, ambitious figure anxious to make a name for himself and get out of his father’s shadow, despite rapidly succumbing to the allure of money and power; he’s essentially doomed to fail based on the people already surrounding him and who he then chooses to befriend. “There’s a skill to being a billionaire; you have to be born with it.”

While pretending to stand up for justice, Cohn uses every underhanded tactic at his disposable, including threats and blackmail. And he follows three simple yet specific rules of conduct: attack, attack, attack; admit nothing, deny everything; and no matter what happens, claim victory and never accept defeat. Of course, he manipulates Trump just as he does with everyone else, trading professional services for “friendship,” which amounts to a permanent debt of unquestionable loyalty. Strong is exceptional in the part (adopting a hunched stance as if physically contorting his upper torso into a spear to pierce enemy shields), spouting vulgarities and narrow-minded views while evilly eying his opponents and pals in equal measure; as with many cinematic personas of villainy, his every move is to further himself personally or financially (or please himself with wild parties fueled by sex and drugs), revealing few emotions beyond fierce determination towards the pursuit of greater and greater wealth and influence. “None of it matters, except winning.”

As the film follows the various wheeling and dealing enterprises of Trump, with the help of Cohn and his extensive corrupt connections (such as acquiring a considerable tax abatement for the renovation of the Commodore Hotel by using secret recordings), as well as his pursuit of a woman named Ivana (Maria Bakalova), it all plays out like a murderous gangster flick (minus flamboyant scenes of slaughter, of course). It’s a political thriller with outrageously despicable antagonists, sacrificing every glimmer of moral righteousness for personal gains, channeling the nefariousness and fraudulence of the ruthless characters of “The Godfather” or “Wall Street.” In this dark, cynical world of libertines (where heroes of any flavor are nowhere to be found), it’s a continuous game of oneupmanship to see who can outdo the other in pure wickedness. Everything is a contract; no relationship is genuine without legal documents to bind them together. Betrayal and flip-flopping on ethical positions (or utter hypocrisy) are always options.

“Truth is a malleable thing.” If these characters were complete fiction, this picture would be downright hilarious in its examination of irredeemable venality. But since this is based on real people and events (with some intermittent fictionalization) – including people who are still incredibly relevant today – “The Apprentice” is practically a horror film. Where it would be funny if it weren’t truthful, it’s instead staggeringly disturbing in its veracious revelations. As an educational piece, it’s absorbing (in its montages of Trump’s surprising successes, expected failures, and the littler details of his professional degradation and personal callousness), but from an entertainment perspective, there’s a bit to be desired from a premise brimming with moral bankruptcy, devoid of roles worth rooting for. Nevertheless, it’s still a routinely engaging biography (constructed, impressively, without a hard bias or the desire for over-the-top caricatures, often presenting information plainly and straightforwardly), convincingly (and unflatteringly) depicting the rise of an indelible public figure – and the tremendous fall of his civility and propriety – closing poignantly and bitingly on the inception of “The Art of the Deal” and Trump’s co-opted three rules of life.

– Mike Massie