I have to say that I was really excited to be invited to DavidK93's write-off in celebration of his second anniversary at Epinions. I guess it was because I immediately knew what I wanted to review. Having to pick a movie from a former brat packer, it was no choice for me to go with Anthony Michael Hall, who I think has aged quite well and is also looking pretty damn good on his new TV series, The Dead Zone. (Coincidentally, we also share the same birthday...)

So, now that he's shed his former geeky image, I find it quite ironic that the one role that saved him from embarassments like A Gnome named Gnorm and various bit parts, that the film that made people decide he might actually have a chance of reviving his career was due to portraying the most famous geek of them all... Of course, I'm talking about Bill Gates.

The Pirates of Silicon Valley was a made for TV movie on TNT, detailing the ups and downs on the road to fame for two of the most powerful men and pioneers in the field computers, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Played respectively by Anthony Michael Hall and Noah Wylie, the film manages to take their stories and make them compelling and entertaining, whether you're interested in computers and the history behind them or not.

Told almost documentary style by their friends in the industry, the film gives a full picture of the dynamics of the relationship and not always very friendly rivalry between the two. We start watching them in college, playing around with computers and then suddenly getting the idea that this could actually become a real life phenomenon. Using outrageous and underhanded tactics, never failing to steal their competitors ideas right from underneath them, we watch these two men build an empire. Then we get to watch it all come crashing down, at least on Apple's part, that is.

And the film details the character's personal and professional lives, warts and all, from Steve Jobs, megalomania and his (lack of a) relationship with his daughter, to Bill Gates's mastery of manipulating the computer world, without managing to have a normal relationship with the people around him. The story keeps the viewer entertained and we learn a lot about what makes the men tick.

It also gives a lot of back history on the creation of the PC and the powerful rivalries between companies, as well as the lengths that people will go to win. Sometimes, it works wonders, as in the scene where Bill Gates sells his Windows platform without even having a system. Luckily, he managed to buy one from another programmer for $10,000 and the rest is history. On the other side of the coin, we watch Apple go down the tubes due to Jobs' own personal flaws. And Microsoft is there to pick up the pieces when it buys part of Apple.

Honestly, this little TV film is better than the majority of films that come out in the theaters. Noah Wylie and Anthony Michael Hall turn in amazing performances. Wylie is absolutely vile and mean at times in this film and he pulls it off so well. And Anthony Michael Hall is so believable as Bill Gates that it's eerie at times... He plays Gates' yearning to belong and be accepted and his drive to win at all costs, in the computer world perfectly. It's played perfectly in that last scene, where after watching Gates scramble and be rejected at every turn by those who seem so much handsome and more radiant, he finally shows everyone that he had the upper hand all along.

Also, Despite the fact that the supporting characters often address the audience personally, a trick that normally annoys me (with the exception of Ferris Beuller's Day Off), it still did not manage to spoil my enjoyment of the film. Plus, Joey Slotnik, the actor who played another major Apple pioneer and programmer, Steve Wozniak, also turned in a great performance.

Overall, if you like computers, you will certainly be intrigued by the story of the major players in the start of the "information age. And if you don't, you'll still love it, because the story alone is incredibly good, plus you actually might learn something.

Secret Subplot
Ok, the idea behind the secret subplot is that there is something going on in the film that could concievably be happening, but is never directly addressed. It is an evil little torture device created by our illustrious host as part of the write-off. And I have to say I had an extremely difficult time with this part. Also, it's impossible to come up with anthing worse I could say about the main characters that might be secretly happening, since they pull pretty much every dirty trick in the book. So, I guess I'll have to go after good guy Steve Wozniak, the gentle soul who only wanted to have a good time coming up with neat programs and hardware.

Watching Apple slowly go down the tubes, and devouring itself in pointles competition, taking all the fun out of building computer systems, Woz decided he would rather drive the nail in the coffin of Apple, rather than watch the thing he loved slowly disintegrate before his eyes. In reality, he was the one that brought Bill Gates in to take over the reigns from Jobs, because he would rather see it dismantled by the enemy than having his best friend drive it into the ground as a kind of betrayal of everything he loved. Anyway, I don't know if it's too realitic, but weirder conspiracy theories are more widely accepted...

Anyway, rent the film. You probably won't expect that much, but more than likely, you'll be very pleasantly suprised.

Thanks to Davidk93 for inviting me to his write-off and for forgiving me for my late enry... The reviews from the other great participants can be found at http://www.epinions.com/user-davidk93

anderclayton * DavidK93 * dedemw * kurt_messick * LukePicard * MrsNormanMaine * Officer * pmills1210 * pogomom * sampo24 * st3on1ey1baby



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS