On the surface The King of
Kong is a documentary about grown men obsessing over setting a world record for
classic arcade videogame Donkey Kong, but underneath it's a David versus
Goliath story that ultimately has a satisfying end.
Steve Wiebe is your Joe
Everyman who's been kicked around all his life. A very talented man who for one
reason or another can't seem to catch a break, until he found Donkey Kong and
set out to break the world record set in 1982 by Billy Mitchell.
Billy Mitchell can very well
be a prototypical movie bad guy. He has it all: a successful business, a
“beautiful” wife (really depends how you define that), world record that
until now can't be beaten, and an ego the size of Donkey Kong himself. At one point he himself acknowledges how fortunate
he's been “If l have all this good fortune, if every
thing's rollin' my way, if all these balls have bounced in my favor... there is
some poor bastard out there who's getting the screws put to him.” When you're
on top of the world you will do anything to stay there. The attentions, the
accolades, the recognition all come at a price.
The Kong of
Kong is about a man's (Billy Mitchell) hubris and how far he'll go to protect
it and at the same time it's a charming story about one man (Steve Wiebe) and
his constant battle against the world to get some recognition.
At 1 hour and
22 minutes, The King of Kong is a gem that everyone should watch. Though it may
be about videogames and to some that's childish, this documentary goes far
beyond said subject. It's a life lesson about believing in yourself, and your
skills. It's about not being extraordinary, but with hard work and perseverance
trying to attempt something that makes you proud of yourself. And in my opinion
that's the greatest achievement of all.
