Review of Antitrust

Introduction

I like the occasional tech thriller. There`s something about gadgets and science that when tied together with a semblance of a plot, appeals to my inner geek. Films like Sneakers and Wargames grace my DVD shelf, and I look back fondly on shows like Bugs. Give a geek a computer and he can feed himself, give a geek a broadband Internet connection and he`ll rule the world. Filmmakers rarely get the tech right though, preferring to concentrate on flashy visuals rather than realism. It`s a guilty pleasure of mine to point out factual inaccuracies in such films, like characters failing to use a mouse, perfect mobile phone signals in unlikely places, actors who type to the same rhythm as they deliver their lines. Such foolishness aside, that doesn`t render the films any less enjoyable. Antitrust on the other hand is a prime example of a film where no matter how much effort you spend on verisimilitude, it`s no substitute for a decent script.

Milo Hoffman is one of a group of garage coders, whose belief in open source software and the freedom of information will one day change the world, or so they believe. They`ve just graduated from college and are on the verge of setting up their own company when the phone rings. Gary Winston is the head of one of the world`s biggest and richest software companies, N.U.R.V. They have a monopoly on their particular brand of software, and use aggressive marketing tactics to price competitors out of the market. Consequently they are on the receiving end of an Antitrust suit from the justice department. Nevertheless, the business world waits for no one, and N.U.R.V are just weeks away from releasing their new proprietary software, Synapse, that allows the transmission of files around the world to any platform. Gary Winston needs the best coders to make his deadline, and Milo Hoffman is on the top of his list. Encouraged by his girlfriend Alice, he decides to join N.U.R.V, despite his friends feeling that he is selling out, and Winston welcomes him as a star protégé. He`s soon at work coding away at the heart of the new software, when Winston hands him a piece of code that is ideal for implementation in Synapse. Milo thinks nothing of this at first, but begins to get suspicious when more and more mysterious code ends up in his in-tray. Then his friend Teddy is murdered, and Gary Winston presents Milo with a highly familiar piece of code.

Video

The picture comes in a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. MGM have presented Antitrust to excellent effect, with a clear and vibrant image. Some of the cinematography is quite splendid, and the only problems would be a hint of moiré on extremely fine detail, and the occasional spot of print damage.

Peter Howitt`s direction is variable. Some scenes are splendid, and he manages to inject a sense of urgency and pace, however he does resort to a cliché or two at times, driving home the point with a mallet when Milo begins to realise just what is going on. I also doubt that no amount of tension and thrills will make a bag of sesame seeds look threatening, although Howitt does come close.

Audio

Similarly the sound is also top notch. A DD 5.1 English soundtrack is puts the surrounds to good use. The action is suitably conveyed and there are some nice tunes to be going on with. The dialogue is clear throughout.

Features

Antitrust comes with a rounded selection of extras, comprising deleted scenes (with optional commentary), a theatrical trailer and a music video, a brief featurette and a director`s commentary.

Conclusion

I suppose that Antitrust looked good on paper. An evil, software multi-billionaire plans total world domination, by nicking bits of code from unsuspecting amateur coders and assimilating it into his own software. He basically wants a licence to print money, with every system in the world reliant on his software. The allusions to Bill Gates aren`t exactly cunningly hidden. The only one able to stop him is one of those plucky bedroom coders who finds himself employed by the big Satan. He has to work from within to bring down this big behemoth, risking life and limb to avenge his fellow geek compatriot. Throw in some plausible looking technology, and do a little research before carelessly flinging around the technobabble so that your target audience isn`t insulted and you should have a hit movie.

Unfortunately this isn`t the case, as Antitrust falls down on three points, some painful miscasting, an ill-considered script and some risible dialogue. Perhaps the most telling is the casting of Tim Robbins as the Bill Gatesesque villain Gary Winston. His performance as Winston reminds me of Jonathan Pryce`s turn as the Rupert Murdoch clone in Tomorrow Never Dies, another `Capitalist Pig` lampooned to dire effect in the service to clichéd villains the world over. Tim Robbins has the maniacal look and the threatening weak smile down perfectly, but in effect is about as threatening as a wet sponge. He gives motivational speeches to his employees that are reminiscent of a certain Nazi leader, he demands creativity and blusters for radical thinking, but fails utterly to convince as anything more than a token villain. Similarly, Ryan Phillippe fails to impress as the hero of the piece, Milo Hoffman. He has the geek aspects of his personality down perfectly, but his character develops little more than that, and lacks presence.

The script twists and turns like a meandering river. There are so many reverses and duplicitous characters that by the end of the film, it has surpassed beggaring belief, and now totally buggers any suspension of disbelief, willing or otherwise. Any character that seemed trustworthy turns out to be evil, and vice versa. Some even change their minds halfway through and become good guys again. The plot twist is a useful mechanism to challenge audience with, when used well. Overdoing it is something like over egging the pudding though, and the result is hardly palatable. This coupled with some atrocious dialogue does little to endear this film to me. I felt the intellectual heights were achieved when our hero Milo remarks to Winston in the denouement, "When you kill people in the real world, they stay dead." I feel such profundity has never before been committed to celluloid, and may never be again.

Director Peter Howitt and others use the commentary and the featurette to make a case for the advantages of open source software over the licensed kind that gives companies like Microsoft an apparently unlimited profit margin. Indeed this film makes for a rather unsubtle tirade against the globalisation antics of Bill Gates and his ilk. It is also stated that this film as well as entertaining, is a vehicle to educate and inform. I`m sure there is a case to be made for open source software, but were this film offered up as evidence for the prosecution, I fear the case would be laughed out of court.

Antitrust gets a sharp transfer and decent presentation, but as a film is a light piece of fluff that just about manages to offer some entertainment value.