(2001)
2
Brad Mills
Being fashionable at the turn of the century to make geeky, stereotypical movies about hacking and the computer world, Antitrust became yet another in the genre. What this movie makes up for in computer believability (for those who know, they use Unix/Linux with GNOME and coding in C++ throughout) it gives right back through silly antics and goofy situations that spoil what otherwise could have been a pretty decent thriller. Director Peter Howitt (Sliding Doors) has chosen quite a different kind of movie for his second major feature release, but if there is one major flaw it's more in the writing than in the directing. The stereotypes of the computer industry are so thick that they're almost offensive; from the evil billionaire software giant trying to "connect every communication device on the planet" played by Tim Robbins to the geeky "do the right thing" programming genius acted by Ryan Phillippe, it's all there. The other unnerving thing is that protagonist Phillippe doesn't really fit as a computer hacker -- he's too cute and sometimes just doesn't seem like he knows what his dialogue actually means. For those who can get past the credibility issues, what's left is a somewhat entertaining and suspenseful thriller with some strange twists and some beautiful scenery (shot in Vancouver, BC, Canada).
AntiTrust on AllMovie
AntiTrust (2001)
