Geeks of the World Unite! (Antitrust (DVD))

Member Name: edie

Product:	Antitrust (DVD)
Date:	14/05/01 (46 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes you think, Better than I thought

Disadvantages: Nothing thst hasnt been done before

I enjoyed this movie far more than I thought as I didn't have high expectations going in. The way Antitrust was marketed as a sci fi movie like The Matrix is quite misleading. Despite its techno trappings its a surprisingly old fashioned movie though none the worse for that. Like Enemy of the State its a pleasing echo of the 70s conspiracy film with a lone hero up against the might of a monolithic shadowy corporation who seem to control every aspect of our lives.

Our hero is Milo (Ryan Phillipe) an unusually attractive computer genius. (He wears glasses while working just so we know he's, like, really smart.) Milo and his college friend Teddy have some socialistic ideals about technological developments being free for the good of humanity (those damn commies!) But Milo is approached by Gary Winston (Tim Robbins), the nerdish owner of a NURV, a Pacific-based computer empire currently fighting an anti trust case, who in no way whatsoever resembles Bill Gates and Microsoft. Though they are quite cute about the similarity by having Winston make a disparaging remark about Gates at one point.

One look at Winston's incredibly cool water-side house/ operations base, all Milo's principles seem to evaporate and he suddenly decides he wants a piece of this. So he becomes a highly numerated NURV wage-slave working to get Synapse their global satellite system to meet its deadline. But Teddy who was working on a similar scheme is killed in mysterious circumstances. Inevitably Milo begins to suspect something is rotten in the state of NURV and sets out to discover the truth.

At this point Antitrust abandons its interesting examination of ownership issues to a simple good versus bad question by demonising Winston/NURV. Everyone’s' going to agree a company committing murder should be stopped but the arguments surrounding anti trust and intellectual rights are a bit more complicated. (I couldn’t help thinking Milo wo
uldn’t have been bothered if he found out NURV were just stealing peoples ideas rather than killing them.) But then this isn’t a movie about corporate monopolies but a straight forward thriller. About half way through I realised the title was meant in a more general thematic way rather than referring to the monopolies case, as almost everyone Milo turns to seems to be on NURV's payroll.

But unlike other technological clunkers like The Net, Antitrust does seem to been made by people with at least a basic understanding of computers. And unless you're a computer whiz you probably won't follow what they are talking about. But it doesn’t matter as the basic plot is simple and easy to understand, perhaps too much so. Director Peter Howitt seems conscious of alienating the non-computer literate and overcompensates by highlighting every key moment with dramatic music and extreme zooms just to make sure that we get what's happened.

On the plus side there are some genuinely nail biting moments of tension as Milo sneaks around inside NURV. While the actors are good: Robbins is as excellent as always as both Milo's benevolent surrogate father figure and a toxic power freak. While Phillipe who I first noticed in Cruel Intentions is an actor to watch, especially if he finds the right vehicle. Antitrust isn't it but despite its general predictability has many virtues. Amongst its many product placements Open Source receives its first and probably best plug. It’s well made with excellent art direction especially memorable is Winston's sinister collection of digital paintings that change to suit his moods. There are some brilliant sets especially the NURV headquarters which resembles a play school for gifted twentysomethings. More remarkably, AntiTrust manages the rare feat of being a computer geek seem like being the coolest thing in the world.

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