BioPic/Drama • 14A • 122 Minutes • 2024
Alright, let’s set a few ground rules here. I don’t want to get bogged down by a discussion about fact vs fiction during this time in Donald Trump’s life. That said, we are going to review what director Ali Abbasi and writer Gabriel Sherman have created, nothing outside the purview of this film. A MARI ESQUE AD MARE! Let’s get on with the review.
Technical choices were made here… What stood out in the first few seconds of this film was the feeling the cinematography evoked through its mimicry of archival and news footage styles. With a fascinating mix of heavy shaky-cam, zooms, and static shots, cinematographer Kasper Tuxen truly finds the 1970s and 80s New York grit aesthetic. Albeit a more Torontonian iteration of New York that Donald Trump explores as he takes over his father’s real-estate business with the help of his lawyer, Roy Cohn.
The first time Sebastian Stan graces the screen, I could not believe I was about to spend the next two hours watching him cosplay as Donald Trump. Then, he moved. He blinked. He spoke. He may not sound like the Donald Trump you and I are used to hearing, or the countless celebrity impressions that have overcome social media, but when Stan purses his lips, raises his eyes, or leans into a conversation, I see it. I see the incredible minute details that, subconsciously, I have been witnessing for years. After five minutes, Sebastian Stan was gone, and I was watching a tell-all exclusive, staring at DJTJ himself, who had grown from an insecure man trying to prove his own independence under his father to a callous narcissist with a fallacious idea of power and control.
Opposite Sebastian Stan is another power magnate, Jeremy Strong, who commands every scene with intense, mob-like stares, portraying the immoral power broker and lawyer, Roy Cohn. Watching Strong battle and cheat the world around him is a thrilling experience and one that Stan’s character found thrilling as he is taught through Cohn what it takes to be a “killer”… Ahem* a “winner”. Their fraught relationship as attorney and client paves the way for a bleak, moralistic philosophy that underscores the film’s major themes. A film that depicts weakness and power as something akin to what the Manosphere has brought into the cultural zeitgeist through teaching about what it takes to succeed in this world.
As the student (Trump) becomes the teacher (Cohn), director Ali Abassi does two incredible things. 1: Made me genuinely care about Roy Cohn and feel a sense of sadness for the character; something I did not ever expect to ever write down. And 2: Shift the power dynamics at tandem, between Trump and Cohn. What feels at times like a Roarshack test of empathy, I’m amazed by Strong’s performance and his ability to control the room, only to become the smaller man in it over time. The contrast between strength and weakness in each scene where Strong and Stan are together is riveting. However, the times when they are not together can drag and leave you waiting for the next time they are.
So where do you go with a story like this? How do you end it? Do you take it all the way to the 2016 presidential election? His first divorce? No? I don’t know either, nor do I think the film knew. When the film abruptly ends with Stan looking over the New York City skyline, with the American flag reflecting in his eye, I knew it was wrapping up, but I was left unsatisfied, wanting a more definitive ending. It felt like the whole film suddenly built up to the point where Donald Trump revealed himself to be the one true villain of Gotham City. Although the ending was unsatisfying, the journey leading up to it was an amazing exploration of the characters Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong built, that are worth taking two hours out of your day to experience.
Where to Watch
Also worth checking: CBC Gem (often carries Canadian titles not listed elsewhere).
about the author
Merrick Gajdics is founder, publisher and editor of The Canadian Film Reviewer.