09.14.08
King of Kong
King of King is an amazing, gripping documentary about the title for the national high score for the original arcade version of Donkey Kong. As insane as that premise sounds, that is completely true.
Billy Mitchell, as an awkward teenager, set the high score in Donkey Kong in 1982 that stayed intact for 20 years. As a dark horse competitor appears on the scene, from Seattle, in 2005, this documentary documents Billy’s descent to ridiculousness to defend his title. It is clear that this record is what provides Billy the confidence to run his own hot sauce business, to dress in a unique style, and is the basic pillar of his self worth. To watch Steve Wiebe, the challenger - a school teacher with a passion - nip at his heels with grace and cool, is a display of total unbalanced competition between two competitors who barely compete in the same moral sphere. And did I mention that this is a documentary?
To understand the complete context of Mitchell’s actions, one must watch the bonus materials, as Steve, Mitchell’s best friend, describes the paranoia surrounding the Twin Galaxy’s officiating society. And did I mention that this is a documentary?