Ali Abbasi directs Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova in this biopic of Donald Trump following his early years of moving out from beneath his tyrannical father’s shadow and his mentoring from controversial fixer Roy Cohn.

Meaty movie but quite grim at times. There’s definitely queasy, heavy content that saps the joy out of the satirical element. Three full fat performances. Strong’s method works well here in a take on closeted gay legal bully Roy Cohn that has shades of Amadeus’ Salieri. Stan goes from strength to strength. His complex study on the future unethical POTUS is initially quite human and vulnerable. All sympathy leaves the building as the Trump we know and hate takes over the struggling neophyte. Trump Begins. Abbasi plays with colourisation and aspect ratios to achieve a New York in flux. Bankruptcy turns to regeneration over a haphazard decade. Neither state is attractive. He is an exciting director, this flawed film is probably his best so far. I feel he has a truly great one in him.

7

Perfect Double Bill: W. (2008)