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| The King of Kong | |||
February 13th, 2008 by
jamesd |
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The battle between Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe for a world record in Donkey Kong. Doesn’t seem too interesting, right? Well, think again. This is a gripping story about one man’s quest to beat a record. But Billy Mitchell is here to do everything in his power to keep him from breaking it. | ||||||||
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On the surface, this is the classic story about good and evil. And although we know the documentary was made primarily in the view of Steve Wiebe, the general consensus about the players do seem right. On the one side there's the anti-hero Steve Wiebe. And on the other side there's Billy Mitchell, somehow reminding me of Tom Cruise in Magnolia.
Under the surface though, we find the story of an average guy, who just never could get a break. With 100% dedication he tries to break an unimportant thing like an arcade machine record. But he is so humble in doing this, it is impossible not to root for him. The unique story is brought to an even higher level by the compelling way director Seth Gordon brings the story. This is not a story you will like because you are a gamer, but because you are human. A funny, dramatic, suspenseful and inspirational ride. | ||||||||
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Really? A movie about someone breaking a record. How can that be interesting?
The focus is more on the human side of things. It’s more about the people involved, than about the record. You want Wiebe to succeed so bad. But then there’s this greedy bastard, who wants everything for himself. I think the director was very lucky to get this unique story. It was probably above all his expectations too.
Trust me on this one.