The King of Kong

This is the best documentary that I have seen in a long time. I don't just say that because it revolves around competing to get the highest recorded score on Donkey Kong. I say it because it plays out like a Bond film. There are heroes and villains. There is treachery, deceit, and frustration. There is vindication and rallying moments. But, it isn't a work of fiction. That makes it all the better when it hits home. The filmmakers knocked it out of the park with this by making a doc that plays like a feature.

The main villain, Billy Mitchell, is a man that has become a cartoon character. Establishing himself as the premier pac man and donkey kong player back in the 80's, Mitchell began assembling a following of fellow dweebs who looked at him as the next 8-bit messiah. He put up astronomical scores on games that were very popular at the time, and either still holds or until very recently held the top ranks. He has ventured out in life to start a bbq sauce company, but he is still very active and protective of his scores. He is a shady man who undercuts and back stabs anyone that attempts to break his records, but will encourage others to go after records of others. He manipulates the officials that tally and keep the scores and is revered by them as the last authoritative word.

Enter Steve Weibe. A man who stumbled upon the Twin Galaxies website and looked up the top scores of some of his favorite games. He saw the Kong score and figured that he could beat that. He bought a machine and set up recording equipment in his garage and began his quest to be the best. He developed his own strategies and techniques for the game and eventually set the new record. He sent in his tape only to find out that Billy Mitchell questions the validity of his score. Mitchell then sends two of his lackey's to Weibe's house to inspect his machine when he wasnt there. They decide that the motherboard has been tampered with and that his score is invalid. They then invite him to duplicate his score in public where others can see on a machine that has been deemed acceptable.

I won't go further into the story, as this is just the first half. The rest unfolds as a classic david vs. asshole match. It is enthralling and polarizing. You can't help but think that Mitchell is a douchebag, and he confirms it every step of the way.

The most powerful and resonating thing for me was all the back story on Weibe. He is a family man and a new teacher. He has had failures in his life that haunt him. He views himself as a second best player in life and it bothers him. He finds something where he can validate himself and succeeds, only to be brought down by the few that hold on so dearly to the record he is breaking. Weibe has a successful life and family, but is wanting something unique to put a stamp on.

On the flip side, Billy Mitchell and his posse of followers are stuck in the past. They have constructed their entire lives and become fanatical by basing their entire existence on these records that Mitchell set long ago. He comes off as wanting to be Jesus to his desciples of games that most people only lovingly look back on. They are are all trapped and doomed to be closed off from the rest of the world and reject anyone that tries to come into their space as equals. It is the height of snobbery and ugliness. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for Mitchell. Only sadness and the glimmering hope that no one else comes for him or his records.