DVD Review: “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, directed by Seth Gordon, USA, 2007. Review by Sean on 3/27/08.

I know I already (briefly) dealt with this one in my top 10, but I watched it again last night, and it’s just so good that I can’t help but do a full review.

The world of competitive video gaming is, as you might expect, full of fairly bizarre characters. These individuals are socially more than a bit off, all a little bit obsessive-compulsive, and by and large remarkably intelligent in one sense or another; however, the key characteristic binding them is a sort of disappointed vulnerability. Some have succeeded in one line but failed in others, some are disappointed at a perceived lack of recognition, some berate themselves for always coming up short in life, but they all share a tendency to question themselves when they’re not clutching a joystick.

All of them except one. All of them except Billy Mitchell.

Billy Mitchell is convinced of one thing above all: the staggering perfection of Billy Mitchell.

At the beginning of The King of Kong, we are introduced to Billy. Billy is sort of the Barry Bonds of competitive video gaming – he has all the most important records, but also holds the record keepers in his back pocket, sitting above scrutiny or criticism. His closest friends openly describe him as “devious.” His enemies call him insane. He is, in short, the world’s most unlikely supervillain.

Steve Weibe, by contrast, is the flawed hero to Mitchell’s perfect evil. Weibe is remarkably gifted in a number of ways – a brilliant and skilled musician, an accomplished amateur baseball player and high school basketball player, a more than capable artist. But he’s always had some problems with cracking under pressure, and even more problems with obsession. When driven, he’ll sacrifice pretty much anything to compete, even if his family asks him to slow down. Unexpected downsizing at work (the day that Steve bought a home, natch,) left Steve without a job, and now he works twelve-hour days as a high school science teacher.

Billy Mitchell has held the world record in Donkey Kong since 1982. Steve Weibe is better than Billy Mitchell at Donkey Kong.

The King of Kong, then, is the saga of Steve’s attempt to be recognized as a champion, flying alone against the competitive gaming community – a group of people better regarded as the Cult of Billy. Faith in Mitchell from the scorekeepers is blind and instant, even in the face of suspect behavior and underhanded tactics; trust in Steve is non-existent for years, with any small wrinkle used as an excuse to push Weibe back into second place. For months, Billy hides in the shadows, manipulating others to keep Steve at a distance, while Weibe goes broke running around the country to compete, always ending up an inch short and fighting tears.

It’s hard to believe that a documentary about competitive Donkey Kong could have the compelling story and classic conflict that I’ve described, but that’s just what makes this movie so good – it takes a completely benign subject and crafts perhaps the strongest narrative I’ve ever seen in a documentary. The story told here is more or less perfect – you’ll be glaring at Billy and cheering for Steve within fifteen minutes, and be near tears yourself when Steve swings and misses.

As I said in my top ten, this isn’t just the best documentary of the year (maybe of the decade,) it’s one of the best films I’ve seen in a while. You owe it to yourself to see this film. After you finish, you’ll probably call a bunch of friends over and start from the top.

Rating: 4.5 Screens (of 5)