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Kelaru & Fulton rating: ★★★
Runtime: 2hrs 2 mins
There’s been a lot of buzz around this film lately—for obvious reasons. Anything related to Trump is polarising these days, which seems to be part of his campaign strategy.
The Hollywood Reporter recently published an in-depth article about the challenges of financing and distributing this film, noting that several Trump associates have tried to "shut it down". The timing of its release, just before the presidential campaign, certainly seems calculated, and it’s easy to see why some would call it biased or “anti-Trump.”
After watching it, though, I’d argue that, in many ways, the film actually does Trump a favour. Let me explain.
The story begins with Trump in his early 30s, the heir to a real estate empire built by his father, Fred Trump. But this wasn’t an empire of glamorous hotels or golf courses—instead, Fred dealt in run-down rental properties, foreclosed businesses, and cheap supermarkets, flipping them for profit.
The film’s Donald J. Trump—played brilliantly by Sebastian Stan—is introduced as a young, ambitious VP at his father’s company. Obsessed with image, he’s also stuck with the task of collecting rent from his father’s tenants, a sometimes dangerous job in mid-1970s New York. Remember this New York city, nearly bankrupt and rife with poverty, was the gritty inspiration for Gotham City in the DC Universe.
One thing Trump instinctively understands, though, is the power of narrative and self-image. Armed only with his father’s reputation—and some cash in the bank—he frequents high-profile bars and clubs, hoping that by rubbing elbows with the powerful, he might gain credibility as a “successful businessman,” despite having no real success to his name.
Enter Roy Marcus Cohn.
Cohn, portrayed by Succession’s Jeremy Strong, was by then a high-profile lawyer and prosecutor famous for successfully convicting the Eisenbergs in 1951 on charges of espionage for the Russian NKVD, earning them the death sentence. Only 24 at the time, Cohn quickly rose to prominence, becoming the government’s go-to figure for investigating alleged communist spies. He worked with J. Edgar Hoover and Senator Joseph McCarthy during the height of America’s Cold War paranoia.
Cohn is fascinating enough for a film of his own, but when he meets the young, naive Trump in New York’s elite clubs, he sees in him an understanding of ambition and a relentless drive. Cohn takes Trump under his wing, teaching him the ropes—bribery, blackmail, and manipulation among them—to build his power.
The first half of the film (arguably the stronger part) effectively shows Cohn’s profound influence on Trump. Much of what we recognise in Trump today—his character and persona—traces back to Cohn’s teachings. The film, in a way, justifies Trump’s later behaviour by attributing it to Cohn’s mentorship and a fortuitous moment in Trump’s life when he was seeking to step out of his father’s shadow. This influence seems timely, as Trump was eager to carve his own path in real estate while his older brother Freddy—a pilot—became a source of disappointment to their father.
To be clear, what Trump has since become is still his own doing. He took Cohn’s principles—“attack, attack, attack,” “admit nothing, deny everything,” “claim victory and never admit defeat”—and perfected them into his personal playbook. This should all sound familiar to anyone following Trump’s recent public life.
The film’s second half, after Trump distances himself from Cohn, becomes a bit muddled, shifting focus to his relationship with his wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova) and his brother Freddy (Charlie Carrick). This part of Trump’s life is more publicly known, and it primarily underscores his obsession with building an image of success and admiration, often at the expense of his family and occasionally the taxpayers.
Kudos to Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong for tackling such controversial roles during such a controversial time.
Ultimately, this film offers a balanced portrayal of Trump’s journey, showing both what he was and what shaped him, though it’s important to remember that it’s a dramatisation, not a documentary.