A computer programmer's dream job at a hot Portland-based firm turns nightmarish when he discovers his boss has a secret and ruthless means of dispatching anti-trust problems. After graduating from Stanford, two idealistic computer whiz kids who are best friends are offered jobs at NURV, a giant Portland company with a driven boss, Gary Winston, on the verge of a world-linking satellite communication system. With support from his girlfriend Alice, Milo takes the job; Teddy says no and continues work on a media compression program he wants to make available free. Winston takes a personal interest in Milo, whose genius can help NURV meet its launch date, and Milo responds with brilliance and long hours. When Teddy meets with tragedy and Winston's offhand remark makes Milo suspicious, he decides to investigate Winston and NURV. But, whom can he trust? Let's see.<br/><br/>No one in the theatre laughed. No one really empathised with Ryan Phillipe. And Tim Robbins is no Bill Gates.<br/><br/>There are a lot of reasons Antitrust was mediocre Yet, I do go in with an open mind, so here's the recap.<br/><br/>To begin, the premise did seem intriguing. It reminded me of the "ripped from the headlines" stories they parlay on "Law and Order." Tim Robbins is this software mogul who steals code from others and turns it into an innovation. In the process, he's been under watch by the Justice Department, a la Bill Gates and their anti-democratic practices. He's trying to create a global communication network called Synapse, which will string together all sorts of information devices. He needs the aid of Ryan Phillipe, a recent com-sci grad from Stanford.<br/><br/>Needless to say Robbins is nothing short of Satan himself and Phillipe crusades to end his tyranny. Now see, I don't really have a problem with this. There are no truly innovative plot lines. Even something as fantastic as "Being John Malkovich" is simply an old philosopher's fancy about consciousness. However, there is always room for perspective and unique presentation that livens a film. Antitrust has none of that. Everything is banal and boring, leaving us neither amused nor enlightened. While the plot may zag a bit, its attempts at cleverness are little more than cheap trickery. In fact, even when we are thrown for a loop it's not done in a logical fashion.<br/><br/>And forget about an aesthetically pleasing look. The film has about one shot that seemed to have art or intellect behind it, while the rest relies on a cheapened computer motif.<br/><br/>The one redeemable quality for those who weren't there because they thought it was "Cruel Intentions 2" might have seen the computer jargon. I, an aspiring cyber-dweeb, revealed in buzzwords like protocol, firewall, shells, and giggled with nerdy delight at the sight of a Linux gooie.<br/><br/>I hate to be so caustic, but when a movie like this is manufactured there is little apology on the producers part. And thus little regret on mine.<br/><br/>Yours in ambivalence, SkS I reluctantly watched Antitrust after my brother bugged me to. Then i realised that it was everything he had told me it was. Brilliant storyline. Good acting and the only movie of its type. Well done. The actors and creators should be congratulated. Libel on one of the true visionaries of American business in the 20th century, a man unfairly demonized for doing what others strove to do but doing it faster and better.
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292 weeks ago