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Antitrust
Review by Ross Anthony

"In the computer business there is no second place; it's binary, one or zero, live or die," a suspiciously familiar hi-tech czar played by Tim Robbins propa-"gates" his software product and company (Nurv) as he defends his corporate monopoly, "Hey, some kid in some garage could take us down at any time."

Milo is working over time with best bud Teddy (in a garage)... hoping to do just that when the phone rings. It's Bill (I mean Gary Winston, Nurv CEO) offering him a job. The offer splits these best friends as Milo goes off to work at Micros ... (I mean Nurv), and Teddy, repulsed by Nurv's fascist strategies, seeks private investors for his own software projects. It's actually a great springboard into a movie about best friends turned Antitrustcompetitors. But that's not how the film is programmed. With young sharp techno-geeks dropping like flies, the film changes genres midstream; from smart buddy film, to cheap thriller, and almost back again.

Though not a great film, "Antitrust" handles several elements very nicely. I especially love Milo's realization scene. It's a crunch of sound and video that hit home. Speaking of sound ... the quality of the tracks in this production is quite high: the choice of alternative rock (which started in Seattle - nudge, nudge, wink, wink), the score, and the careful crisp mix. The acting is respectable, while the camera movement, direction and editing are very professional. Together they make this "B" movie look very good.

But this is still a "B" movie. At times the sharp script dips into the ridiculous, reducing the battle of geniuses to fodder for warehouse chase scenes ... complete with false scares and all. More than once, this audience giggled at the silliness projected on screen. Still, never a dull moment, well paced and suspenseful to the end. You'll fall more than once for the film's twist-traps and enjoy being fooled. As with "Save the Last Dance" I think it's a strong film for 14 to 18 year-olds.



  • Antitrust. Copyright © 2001. Rated PG-13.
  • Starring Ryan Phillippe, Rachael Leigh Cook, Claire Forlani, Tim Robbins, Douglas McFerran, Richard Roundtree.
  • Directed by Peter Howitt.
  • Written by Howard Frankin.
  • Produced by Nick Wechsler, Keith Addis, and David Nicksay at MGM/Hyde Park/Industry Ent.



Grade..........................B+



Copyright © 2001. Ross Anthony, currently based in Los Angeles, has scripted and shot documentaries, music videos, and shorts in 35 countries across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more reviews visit: RossAnthony.com


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Last Modified: Saturday, 16-Sep-2006 08:21:30 PDT