The King of Kong: A Fistful of QuartersAchievement means more than obtaining an arbitrary trophy; it is recognition for upholding integrity and courage in the face of adversity. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a documentary chronicling the competitive rivalry between two very different men--Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell--who share the distinction of being exceptional players of the vintage arcade game, Donkey Kong. The film presents Steve's quest to dethrone Billy--the high score champion of the game--as an underdog story à la "David and Goliath", constructing a drama through interviews with the two competitors, as well as their friends, family, and even their enemies.
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The King of Kong opens with a quote by William S. Burroughs about our universe being one in which "war" and "games" are not mutually exclusive, but rather a part of the same paradigm. Despite superficially being a movie about a video game, The King of Kong is really about the conflict between two different personality types and those who flock to them. Shortly after introducing Billy and Steve in a brief pair of statements defining what competition means to them, The King of Kong travels back in time to 1982, when the borders of Billy's video game empire were formed during a publicity tournament in Iowa. The event was officiated by Walter Day, who would later create the official scoreboards for world records in vintage video games known as Twin Galaxies--an ironic name, considering the eventual clash between Steve and Billy, who are from "two different worlds". The tournament also showcases Billy's capacity to absorb his competitors into his inner circle, like Steve Sanders, whom Billy unabashedly prides himself as having made him into the man he is today by thrashing him in this tournament almost a quarter of a century prior. Since then, Billy Mitchell has maintained his celebrity status within his niche, cultivating his "disciples" while running a restaurant featuring his own brand of hot sauce. Conversely, Steve Wiebe's past is presented as one where he has always been the proverbial bridesmaid and never the bride. His friends and family describe him with love and affection, but with the unspoken message that despite his best efforts--in sports, music, work, etc--that he has always floundered, never achieving greatness. After finding himself out of work, Steve suddenly takes to trying his hand at beating Billy's high score, unwittingly declaring war on a rival he has never met across the country. Steve is obsessive in his efforts to understand the technical intricacies of Donkey Kong, approaching it with a scientific method befitting his occupation as a science teacher. After recording a world record score and submitting it to Twin Galaxies, Steve begins to understand that he has thrown down the gauntlet and encroached upon Billy's dominion, inciting a back and forth volley of score submissions that force these men to reveal what they are truly made of.
Despite being a documentary, The King of Kong presents real people in ways that cast them in the roles of heroes or villains within the context of the unfolding drama. Steve Wiebe is depicted as an everyman seeking to prove to himself that he can be exceptional at something--a universal sentiment. Billy Mitchell appears as arrogant, self-serving, evasive, disingenuous, and even vindictive. (Is Billy Mitchell really as big of a jerk as The King of Kong portrays him as?) He makes off-hand comments where he compares the controversy he draws with the debate about abortion, or likening himself with German World War I pilot Manfred von Richthofen (a.k.a. "The Red Baron"); he even refers to himself in the third person. It becomes almost impossible to see Billy Mitchell as anything but a conceited despot clinging to a title that means more to him than he lets on, for which he is willing to employ drastic and spurious means to maintain. Billy even looks like a narcissist--quick to pose for the cameras, decked out in one of his American flag ties, while shoving a competitor's brand of hot sauce to the back shelf in the supermarket to give his own product better representation. The thrill of The King of Kong comes from watching Steve muster all of his courage and determination not just to win, but to put someone like "Billy Mitchell" in his place.
Numerous details about Billy and Steve's lifestyles speak to their respective characters. Steve leads a traditional life in the suburbs with his nuclear family, scraping by and earning a degree to teach science in middle school, while Billy leads a seemingly charmed life as a wealthy entrepreneur, married to an especially lovely wife, and without a real care in the world. The motif of the scrappy and virtuous underdog rising up to defeat the corrupt tyrant runs throughout The King of Kong, as it has in tales ranging from the battle between Robin of Loxley and the Sheriff of Nottingham in "Robin Hood" to the clash between Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa in Rocky. Even the supporting characters in this real-world drama fulfill roles that would fit into these stories. Walter Day comes across as a wise, old guru--he even practices transcendental meditation--and is willing to acknowledge that he is not immune to mistakes of judgment as he mediates over this virtual war in his referee jersey. Billy is surrounded by sycophants, like the aforementioned Steve Sanders and the smarmy Brian Kuh, who skulks around the Funspot Arcade while corralling a crowd around Steve that has the insinuation of being done to distract him from beating Billy's score in public. Joe Esposito's "You're the Best"--featured prominently in the 1984 film, The Karate Kid--is repeatedly played for dramatic effect in The King of Kong. Not only is this because Donkey Kong is a product of the early Eighties and the retro competition is a throwback to that era, but because Steve is an underdog like Danny, while Billy is a self-aggrandizing nemesis protected by his lackeys like Johnny.
There is a conspiratorial element to Billy and his cadre of "protegees", who go so far as to fly out to Redmond, Washington (Steve's home), and inspect his arcade board for signs of tampering, and they exclude Steve from a celebratory dinner during the Guinness World Records tournament held in Florida out of petty elitism. There is a faint hint that Steve has been nudged to challenge Billy as a proxy by an "enemy" of Billy's named Roy Shildt--a creep who wins no points with the audience via archive footage in which he poses with scantily clad models, pitching tips about how to "score" with girls while calling himself "Mr. Awesome". This association is used as a justification for Twin Galaxies to question the veracity of Steve's submitted tape, since he is unknown and has yet to develop a rapport with them. This convoluted social latticework recalls high school snobbery; ironically, the tables appear to have been turned, since Steve's life experience would make him a "jock", while Billy's inner circle consists mostly of "nerds". Billy and his 8-bit aristocracy are stuck in a state of arrested development, and any sympathy the audience might have for them disintegrates because they snub someone like Steve for daring to play their proverbial reindeer games. But like a politician running a grassroots campaign, Steve grows in popularity by braving the proving grounds of the most popular retro arcades. He becomes trusted by men like Walter Day--and even Steve Sanders--by putting his money where his mouth is and by being a stand-up guy. By actually showing up to the showdown between him and Billy, Steve dispels the bad reputation inflicted against him--one implied to be forged by Billy to paint him as an upstart surrogate for Roy Shildt. Because of his willingness to put himself out there and meet new people and take chances that Billy will not, Steve earns the respect of others--the only prize really worth fighting for.
Recommended for: Fans of a compelling documentary about something that might seem trivial, but comes to represent something universal, like respect and accomplishment. The King of Kong communicates these truths less through technical jargon but with interviews and the testimonies of a diverse spectrum of people, making the film something to which nearly any audience can relate.
Despite being a documentary, The King of Kong presents real people in ways that cast them in the roles of heroes or villains within the context of the unfolding drama. Steve Wiebe is depicted as an everyman seeking to prove to himself that he can be exceptional at something--a universal sentiment. Billy Mitchell appears as arrogant, self-serving, evasive, disingenuous, and even vindictive. (Is Billy Mitchell really as big of a jerk as The King of Kong portrays him as?) He makes off-hand comments where he compares the controversy he draws with the debate about abortion, or likening himself with German World War I pilot Manfred von Richthofen (a.k.a. "The Red Baron"); he even refers to himself in the third person. It becomes almost impossible to see Billy Mitchell as anything but a conceited despot clinging to a title that means more to him than he lets on, for which he is willing to employ drastic and spurious means to maintain. Billy even looks like a narcissist--quick to pose for the cameras, decked out in one of his American flag ties, while shoving a competitor's brand of hot sauce to the back shelf in the supermarket to give his own product better representation. The thrill of The King of Kong comes from watching Steve muster all of his courage and determination not just to win, but to put someone like "Billy Mitchell" in his place.
Numerous details about Billy and Steve's lifestyles speak to their respective characters. Steve leads a traditional life in the suburbs with his nuclear family, scraping by and earning a degree to teach science in middle school, while Billy leads a seemingly charmed life as a wealthy entrepreneur, married to an especially lovely wife, and without a real care in the world. The motif of the scrappy and virtuous underdog rising up to defeat the corrupt tyrant runs throughout The King of Kong, as it has in tales ranging from the battle between Robin of Loxley and the Sheriff of Nottingham in "Robin Hood" to the clash between Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa in Rocky. Even the supporting characters in this real-world drama fulfill roles that would fit into these stories. Walter Day comes across as a wise, old guru--he even practices transcendental meditation--and is willing to acknowledge that he is not immune to mistakes of judgment as he mediates over this virtual war in his referee jersey. Billy is surrounded by sycophants, like the aforementioned Steve Sanders and the smarmy Brian Kuh, who skulks around the Funspot Arcade while corralling a crowd around Steve that has the insinuation of being done to distract him from beating Billy's score in public. Joe Esposito's "You're the Best"--featured prominently in the 1984 film, The Karate Kid--is repeatedly played for dramatic effect in The King of Kong. Not only is this because Donkey Kong is a product of the early Eighties and the retro competition is a throwback to that era, but because Steve is an underdog like Danny, while Billy is a self-aggrandizing nemesis protected by his lackeys like Johnny.
There is a conspiratorial element to Billy and his cadre of "protegees", who go so far as to fly out to Redmond, Washington (Steve's home), and inspect his arcade board for signs of tampering, and they exclude Steve from a celebratory dinner during the Guinness World Records tournament held in Florida out of petty elitism. There is a faint hint that Steve has been nudged to challenge Billy as a proxy by an "enemy" of Billy's named Roy Shildt--a creep who wins no points with the audience via archive footage in which he poses with scantily clad models, pitching tips about how to "score" with girls while calling himself "Mr. Awesome". This association is used as a justification for Twin Galaxies to question the veracity of Steve's submitted tape, since he is unknown and has yet to develop a rapport with them. This convoluted social latticework recalls high school snobbery; ironically, the tables appear to have been turned, since Steve's life experience would make him a "jock", while Billy's inner circle consists mostly of "nerds". Billy and his 8-bit aristocracy are stuck in a state of arrested development, and any sympathy the audience might have for them disintegrates because they snub someone like Steve for daring to play their proverbial reindeer games. But like a politician running a grassroots campaign, Steve grows in popularity by braving the proving grounds of the most popular retro arcades. He becomes trusted by men like Walter Day--and even Steve Sanders--by putting his money where his mouth is and by being a stand-up guy. By actually showing up to the showdown between him and Billy, Steve dispels the bad reputation inflicted against him--one implied to be forged by Billy to paint him as an upstart surrogate for Roy Shildt. Because of his willingness to put himself out there and meet new people and take chances that Billy will not, Steve earns the respect of others--the only prize really worth fighting for.
Recommended for: Fans of a compelling documentary about something that might seem trivial, but comes to represent something universal, like respect and accomplishment. The King of Kong communicates these truths less through technical jargon but with interviews and the testimonies of a diverse spectrum of people, making the film something to which nearly any audience can relate.