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Prince Vultan; the beard, the deep booming voice and the phantasmic costume. Brian Blessed was the boisterous actor whose role in Flash Gordon was laden not only with facial hair, but also a fantastic pomposity. Tied together with the anthemic throes of Queen you have a film that is both valiant and comic. Strap up because there is another tale of good and evil that resides outside of make-believe, and make-up. Welcome to the world of competitive gaming.
Billy Mitchell is many things, not least an arcade game champion. His appearance however is far more alluring than his accomplishments. With facial hair to match one of Flash Gordon’s greatest allies, not only does he hold the World Record for Donkey Kong – the most difficult of all the arcade games ever made – but he is also the owner of Rickey's World Famous Hot Sauce. So far, so friendly.
Meanwhile in Seattle, Steve Wiebe made redundant from his job at Boeing retrains as a teacher, only to find he has a little more time on his hands than anticipated. Cue the installation of a Donkey Kong game in the garage, and a personal quest to break the yet unbeaten record held by Mitchell. What begins as a mild flirtation becomes an all-consuming mission, as we watch our hero attempt to break this record in order to become the Guinness World Record holder.
The men compete across the country, rarely meeting in person, culminating in a duel at Funspot, home to the original and thus the most difficult gaming machines available today.
Unlike many films that support the underdog, King of Kong is a documentary and to say that heightens the viewer’s attraction to Steve’s plight is an understatement. The beauty of the film however lies in the supporting cast. Whilst director Seth Gordon tracks the world record attempts, sometimes at the expense of Wiebe’s parenting skills, it is the other members of Twin Galaxies that deserve equal mention.
"I’m the man!" declares Walter Day, guitarist, mentor, chief referee and head of Twin Galaxies, the gaming world’s regulatory federation. But he is not the only one, as fellow competitors Brian Kuh, Roy Shildt and Robert Mruczek are equally mesmerising due in part to their individual roles within this geek-elite caste system.
There is no doubt that Gordon creates a bias, that as viewers we feel compelled to support Steve Wiebe as soon as Mitchell flicks his mane and states that he will not compete in person. This, along with the behaviour of other gamers makes King of Kong compelling viewing. To draw a comparison between Star Wars with its emperors, planets and robots versus a man draped in silhouette, cast in profile, frieze-like, playing hour after hour in his garage may seem excessive; but the film captures a triumph that is out of this world.
In 1982, LIFE Magazine photographed the greatest arcade gamers on the planet for the centre-fold of the Year-In-Photos edition. Although Steve Wiebe did not participate in this shoot, we are truly blessed that his plight has now been documented. The same can’t be said for Billy Mitchell’s haircut.
Credits
Director: Seth Gordon
Cast: Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Walter Day
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