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Antitrust

 
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AntiTrust

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  • Director: Peter Howitt
  • AMG Rating: starstar
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Movie Type: Paranoid Thriller
  • Themes: Computer Paranoia, Race Against Time, Technology Run Amok
  • Main Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Rachael Leigh Cook, Claire Forlani, Tim Robbins, Douglas McFerran
  • Release Year: 2001
  • Country: US
  • Run Time: 110 minutes
  • MPAA Rating: PG13

Plot

Just how far should one man go to stay ahead of his competition? Milo Hoffmann (Ryan Phillippe) is a young and gifted computer software designer who with his close friend Teddy is about to launch a high-tech start-up firm based on Milo's inventive ideas in convergence, in which he's helping to create new ways for different forms of digital technology to work in harmony. However, before Milo and Teddy can get their company off the ground, Milo receives a very tempting offer from Gary Winston (Tim Robbins), a trailblazing genius in the digital world who has turned his company N.U.R.V. (which stands for "Never Underestimate Radical Vision") into one of the richest and most powerful computer firms on Earth. While Milo is sympathetic to Teddy's beliefs that computer technology should belong to the people and that open source software is the most promising future lies, Winston has long been Milo's role model in design and research, and Milo feels Winston's offer is too good to pass up. Milo and his girlfriend Alice Poulson (Claire Forlani) move out to Silicon Valley, and at first Milo thrives on the challenges of his new position, and develops a close working relationship with fellow designer Lisa Calighan (Rachael Leigh Cook). But Milo underestimates the ruthlessness of the leading-edge software industry, and he soon learns there's a sinister undercurrent to Winston's drive to stay on top. Antitrust earned rising star Ryan Phillippe his first million-dollar paycheck after well-regarded roles in 54 and Cruel Intentions. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Review

Being fashionable at the turn of the century to make geeky, stereotypical movies about hacking and the computer world, Antitrust became yet another in the genre. What this movie makes up for in computer believability (for those who know, they use Unix/Linux with GNOME and coding in C++ throughout) it gives right back through silly antics and goofy situations that spoil what otherwise could have been a pretty decent thriller. Director Peter Howitt (Sliding Doors) has chosen quite a different kind of movie for his second major feature release, but if there is one major flaw it's more in the writing than in the directing. The stereotypes of the computer industry are so thick that they're almost offensive; from the evil billionaire software giant trying to "connect every communication device on the planet" played by Tim Robbins to the geeky "do the right thing" programming genius acted by Ryan Phillippe, it's all there. The other unnerving thing is that protagonist Phillippe doesn't really fit as a computer hacker -- he's too cute and sometimes just doesn't seem like he knows what his dialogue actually means. For those who can get past the credibility issues, what's left is a somewhat entertaining and suspenseful thriller with some strange twists and some beautiful scenery (shot in Vancouver, BC, Canada). ~ Brad Mills, All Movie Guide

Cast

Richard Roundtree - Lyle Barton; Tygh Runyan - Larry Banks; Yee Jee Tso - Teddy Chin; Nate Dushku - Brian Bissel; Ned Bellamy - Phil Grimes; Tyler Labine - Redmond; Scott Bellis - Randy; David Lovgren - Danny

Credit

Doug Byggdin - Art Director, Cathy Sandrich - Casting, Amanda Mackey-Johnson - Casting, Maya Mani - Costume Designer, Jack Hardy - First Assistant Director, Peter Howitt - Director, Zach Staenberg - Editor, Ashok Amritraj - Executive Producer, Julia Chasman - Executive Producer, C.O. Erickson - Executive Producer, David Hoberman - Executive Producer, Don Davis - Composer (Music Score), Catherine Hardwicke - Production Designer, John Bailey - Cinematographer, David Nicksay - Producer, Nick Wechsler - Producer, Keith Addis - Producer, Rose Marie McSherry - Set Designer, Larry Sutton - Sound/Sound Designer, Howard Franklin - Screenwriter, Rose Marie McSherry - Set Decorator

Similar Movies

Electric Dreams; The Firm; The Manhattan Project; Sneakers; The Star Chamber; WarGames; The Net; Hackers; The Game; The Skulls; Swordfish; The Skulls II; Abandon; The Code Conspiracy; Wicker Park; Terminal Error; Firewall; Disturbia
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Wikipedia: Antitrust (film)
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Antitrust

film poster
Directed by Peter Howitt
Produced by David Hoberman
Ashok Amritraj
C.O. Erickson
Julia Chasman[1]
Written by Howard Franklin
Starring Ryan Phillippe
Tim Robbins
Rachael Leigh Cook
Claire Forlani
Music by Don Davis[1]
Editing by Zach Staenberg[1]
Studio Cub Two Productions
Industry Entertainment
Hyde Park Entertainment[1]
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer[1]
Release date(s) January 12, 2001 (2001-01-12)
Running time 110 minutes[2]
Country  United States
Language English
Gross revenue $18,195,610[3]

Antitrust (also titled Conspiracy.com[4] and Startup[5]) is a 2001 thriller film written by Howard Franklin and directed by Peter Howitt.[1][2]

Antitrust portrays young idealistic programmers and a large corporation (NURV) that offers significant money, a low-keyed working environment, and creative opportunities for those talented programmers willing to work for them. The charismatic CEO of NURV (Robbins) seems to be good natured, but recent employee and protagonist Milo Hoffman (Phillippe) begins to unravel the terrible hidden truth of NURV's operation.

Starring Ryan Phillippe, Tim Robbins, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Claire Forlani,[6] Antitrust opened in the United States on January 12, 2001,[2] and despite hope for the film and its pro-open-source message, it was generally panned by reviewers and critics.

Contents

Plot

Working with his three friends at their new software development company Skullbocks, Stanford graduate Milo Hoffman (Phillippe) is contacted by CEO Gary Winston (Robbins) of NURV (Never Underestimate Radical Vision) for a very attractive programming position: A fat paycheck, an almost-unrestrained working environment, and extensive creative control over his work. Accepting Winston's offer, Hoffman and his girlfriend, Alice Poulson (Forlani), move to NURV headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

The environment of NURV seems as advertised: A friendly, family-oriented company that places great value on individual creativity. NERF footballs fly around the office, the atmosphere is relaxed, and Winston personally shows Milo to his workstation and introduces him to his co-workers. Despite development of the flagship product (Synapse, a worldwide media distribution network) being well on schedule, Hoffman soon becomes suspicious of the excellent source code Winston personally provides to him, seemingly when needed most, while refusing to divulge the code's origin.

After his best friend, Teddy Chin (Tso), is murdered, Hoffman discovers that NURV is stealing the code they need from programmers around the world — including Chin — and then killing them to cover their tracks. Hoffman learns that not only does NURV employ an extensive surveillance system to observe and steal code, the company has infiltrated the Justice Department and most of the mainstream media. Even his girlfriend is a plant, an ex-con hired by the company to manipulate him.

While searching through a secret NURV database containing surveillance dossiers on employees, he finds that the company has information of a very personal nature about a friend and co-worker, Lisa Calighan (Cook). When he reveals to her that the company has this information, she agrees to help him expose NURV's crimes to the world. Coordinating with one of Hoffman's friends (Dushku) from his old startup, they plan to use a local cable access station to hijack Synapse and broadcast their charges against NURV to the world. However, Calighan turns out to be a double agent, foils Hoffman's plan, and turns him over to Winston.

Hoffman had already confronted Poulson and convinced her to side with him against Winston and NURV. When it became clear that Hoffman had not succeeded, a backup plan was put into motion by Poulson, the fourth member of Skullbocks (Runyan), and the incorruptible internal security firm hired by NURV. While Hoffman is mocked by Winston, the second team successfully usurps one of NURV's own work centers—"Building 21"—and transmits the incriminating evidence as well as the Synapse code. Winston and his entourage are publicly arrested for their crimes. Parting ways with the redeemed Poulson, Hoffman rejoins Skullbocks.

Allusions

Tim Robbins (2008, left) and Bill Gates (2007, right)

Roger Ebert found Gary Winston to be a thinly disguised pastiche of Bill Gates; so much so that he was "surprised [the writers] didn't protect against libel by having the villain wear a name tag saying, 'Hi! I'm not Bill!'" Similarly, Ebert felt NURV "seems a whole lot like Microsoft."[7] Ebert wasn't alone making these observations; parallels between the fictional and real-world software giants were also drawn by Lisa Bowman of ZDNet UK,[8] James Berardinelli of ReelViews,[9] and Rita Kempley of the The Washington Post.[10] Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan said, "From the trailers, we couldn't tell if the movie was about [America Online] or Oracle."[8]

Cast

Wiki letter w.svg This section requires expansion.

Production

Locations

Principal photography for Antitrust took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and California, USA.[2]

Stanley Park in Vancouver served as the grounds for Gary Winston's house, although the gate house at its entrance was faux. The exterior of Winston's house itself was wholly computer-generated; only the paved walkway and body of water in the background are physically present in the park.[11] For later shots of Winston and Hoffman walking along a beach near the house, the CG house was placed in the background of Bowen Island, the shooting location.[12] Catherine Hardwicke designed the interior sets for Winston's house, which featured several different units, or "pods", e.g., personal, work, and recreation units. No scenes take place in any of the personal areas, however; only public areas made it to the screen.[13] While the digital paintings in Winston's home were created with green screen technology, the concept was based on technology that was already available in the real world. The characters even refer to Bill Gates' house which, in real life, had such art.[14] The paintings which appeared for Hoffman were of a cartoon character, "Alien Kitty", developed by Floyd Hughes specifically for the film.[15][16]

Simon Fraser University served as an outdoor shooting location for NURV headquarters.

Simon Fraser University's Burnaby campus stood in for external shots of NURV headquarters.[17][18]

UBC's Chan Centre for the Performing Arts served as an indoor shooting location and inspiration for NURV headquarters' "The Egg".

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) was used for several internal locations. The centre's foyer area became the NURV canteen; the set decoration for which was inspired by Apple's canteen, which the producers saw during a visit to their corporate headquarters.[19] The inside of the Chan—used for concerts—served as the shape for "The Egg", or "The NURV Center", where Hoffman's cubicle is located.[20] Described as "a big surfboard freak" by Director Peter Howitt, Production Designer Catherine Hardwicke surrounded "The Egg" set with surfboards mounted to the walls; "The idea was to make NURV a very cool looking place."[18][21] Both sets for NURV's Building 21 were also on UBC's campus. The internal set was an art gallery on campus, while the exterior was built for the film on the university's grounds. According to Howitt, UBC students kept attempting to steal the Building 21 set pieces.[22]

Hoffman and Poulson's new home—a real house in Vancouver—was a "very tight" shooting location and a very rigorous first week for shooting because, as opposed to a set, the crew could not move the walls.[23] The painting in the living room is the product of a young Vancouver artist, and was purchased by Howitt as his first piece of art.[24]

The new Skullbocks office was a real loft, also in Vancouver, on Beatty Street.[25]

Open source

Antitrust's pro-open source story excited industry leaders and professionals with the prospects of expanding the public's awareness and knowledge level of the availability of open-source software. The film heavily features Linux and its community, using screenshots of the Gnome desktop, consulting Linux professionals, as well as cameos by Miguel de Icaza and Scott McNealy (the latter appearing in the film's trailers). Jon Hall, executive director of Linux International and consultant on the film said "[Antitrust] is a way of bringing the concept of open source and the fact that there is an alternative to the general public, who often don't even know that there is one."[8]

Despite the film's message about open source computing, MGM didn't follow-through with their marketing: the official website for Antitrust featured some videotaped interviews which were only available in Apple's proprietary QuickTime formatting.[8]

Reception

Review aggregate websites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic reported generally poor reception: based on 102 reviews, only 25% of critics gave the film positive write-ups,[26] with a calculated metascore of 31 (out of 100).[27] Professional critic Roger Ebert only gave the film two stars (out of four).[7] Linux.com appreciated the film's open-source message but felt the film overall was lackluster, saying "'AntiTrust' is probably worth a $7.50 ticket on a night when you've got nothing else planned."[28]

James Keith La Croix of Detroit's Metro Times gave the film four stars, impressed that "Antitrust is a thriller that actually thrills."[29]

Video releases

Antitrust was released as a "Special Edition" DVD on May 15, 2001.[30] and on VHS on December 26, 2001.[31] The DVD features audio commentary by the director and editor, an exclusive documentary, deleted scenes and alternative opening and closing sequences with director's commentary, the music video for "When It All Goes Wrong Again" by Everclear, and the original theatrical trailer. The DVD was re-released August 1, 2006.[32]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Antitrust (2001) - Cast and Credits". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo Inc.. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1802760268/cast. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  2. ^ a b c d "Antitrust (2001) - Movie Details". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo Inc.. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1802760268/details. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  3. ^ "Antitrust (2001)". Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo LLC. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=antitrust.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  4. ^ "conspiracy.com" (in German). OutNow.CH. 2001-02-06. http://outnow.ch/Movies/2001/ConspiracyCom/. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  5. ^ "Filmlexikon FILME von A-Z - startup" (in German). http://www.filmevonabisz.de/filmsuche.cfm?wert=515051&sucheNach=titel. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  6. ^ "Antitrust (2001) - Movie Info". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo Inc.. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1802760268/info. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  7. ^ a b Ebert, Roger (2001-01-12). "Antitrust". Chicago Sun-Times. John D. Cruickshank. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010112/REVIEWS/101120301/1023. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  8. ^ a b c d Bowman, Lisa (2001-01-08). "Linux to star on silver screen". ZDNet UK. CNET Networks, Inc.. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,2083535,00.htm?r=8. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  9. ^ Berardinelli, James (2001). "Review: Antitrust". ReelViews. http://www.reelviews.net/movies/a/antitrust.html. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  10. ^ Kempley, Rita (2001-01-12). "'Antitrust': Battling the Evil Geek". The Washington Post. Boisfeuillet Jones, Jr.. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/movies/reviews/antitrustkempley.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  11. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 07:51. 
  12. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 13:04. 
  13. ^ Catherine Hardwicke. (2001-05-15). Antitrust, "Cracking the Code". [DVD documentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 10:02. 
  14. ^ Zach Staenberg. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 10:02. 
  15. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 1:16:37. 
  16. ^ Antitrust. [motion picture]. Los Angeles, California, United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 2001-01-12. 
  17. ^ "SFU in films and television". SFU.ca. Simon Fraser University. Archived from the original on 2008-01-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20080115225653/http://students.sfu.ca/filming/index.html. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  18. ^ a b Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 17:28. 
  19. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 18:57. 
  20. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 19:30. 
  21. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 20:23. 
  22. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 51:06. 
  23. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 23:56. 
  24. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 1:10:23. 
  25. ^ Peter Howitt. (2001-05-15). Antitrust. [DVD commentary]. Los Angeles, California, USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Event occurs at 26:09. 
  26. ^ "Antitrust - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/antitrust/. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  27. ^ "AntiTrust (2001): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/antitrust?q=Antitrust. Retrieved 2008-05-09. 
  28. ^ Gross, Grant (2001-01-13). "Open Source, the movie: 'AntiTrust' reviewed". Linux.com. http://www.linux.com/feature/6854. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  29. ^ La Croix, James (2001-01-17). "Antitrust". Metro Times. Lisa Rudy. http://metrotimes.com/film/review.asp?rid=12376. Retrieved 2008-12-03. 
  30. ^ "Antitrust (2001)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Antitrust-Ned-Bellamy/dp/B00005AUDW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1204173263&sr=8-1. Retrieved 2008-02-27. 
  31. ^ "Antitrust (2000)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Antitrust-Ned-Bellamy/dp/B00003CXSF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1204174044&sr=1-1. Retrieved 2008-02-27. 
  32. ^ "Antitrust - Special Edition (DVD)". CinemaClock Canada Inc.. http://www.cinemaclock.com/dvd/dvd.aw/p.clock/r.ont/m.Belleville/j.e/i.2050/n.1/f.Antitrust__Special_Edition_.html. Retrieved 2008-02-27. 

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