In late 1990s it became apparent that the Internet, contrary to predictions of certain future Nobel laureates, will actually be more valuable than fax machines. It was becoming essential part of life in America and in other parts of the world, even spawning what would later be known of Dot Com Bubble. And it also spawned great interest in people who made it possible with development of personal computer. Even greater interest was aroused when some of those personalities were larger-than-life and became bitter rivals, which, in turn resulted in Pirates of Silicon Valley, 1999 film written and directed by Martyn Burke, which is now considered one of the finest television biopic ever made.

Burke’s script is mostly based on Fire in the Valley: The Making of Personal Computer, 1984 book by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. The plot begins in 1983 when famous British director Ridley Scott (played by J. G. Hertzler) is directing famous 1984 Superbowl ad for Apple Macintosh personal computer under supervision of Apple founder Steve Jobs (played by Noah Wyle). Plot then switches to 1997 when Jobs reluctantly announces a deal with Microsoft and its founder Bill Gates (played by Anthony Michael Hall), and then goes back in time to chronicle beginnings of both men’s career. In 1971 U. C. Berkeley campus Jobs as teenager with his friend Steve Wozniak (played by Joey Slotkin) is witnessing violent anti-war demonstration; Jobs has fully embraced 1960s counterculture but believes that the true revolution will be achieved by development of new technology. Jobs, Wozniak and his friends spend next few years building computers. In 1974 young Harvard student Bill Gates becomes intrigued with new MITS Altair computer and, together with friends Paul Allen (played by Josh Hopkins) and Steve Ballmer (played by John Di Maggio) decides to deal with new technology, leaves school and goes to Albuquerque where he would create Microsoft. As years go by, Jobs becomes driving force behind Apple and uses computer mouse and other concepts developed at Xerox to launch Macintosh. Gates and Microsoft, in return, use graphic user interface developed at Apple to launch their own software product known as Microsoft Windows.

Pirates of Silicon Valley, originally aired on TNT cable network, has dealt with personalities already established as great visionaries and new captains of American industry, with their rivalry in many ways comparable with famous Currents War between Edison and Tesla a century earlier. Burke, however, tried and mostly succeeded to evade traps that make so many American television biopics look dry and uninteresting. The most important was the structure which, instead of focusing on one character, used technique of parallel biographies. The plot is rather weak and consists of series of small vignettes chronicling the most famous, most colourful or most outrageous events from both men’s early careers. Burke also uses any opportunity to make those vignettes as humorous as possible; both stories are narrated by separate narrators representing their close associates – Jobs’ story by Wozniak and Gates’ story by Ballmer, in a semi-ironic manner not that different from the one used by Scorsese in Goodfellas. Burke also succeeded to be very economical with the content and wrap up the film within a little over hour and half of running time, making Pirates of Silicon Valley one of the more digestible biopics.

Burke was very fortunate with the cast. Noah Wyle, at the time best known for his work in hit television series ER, has put his physical resemblance to Steve Jobs to good use, but he also invested a lot of talent in portraying complex and often contradictory character. His Jobs is both rebellious adherent of counterculture and shrewd businessman, who later turns into arrogant and tyrannical character when obtaining wealth and power; he is also less than exemplary person when it comes to private life. Wyle’s performance was so good that even real life Jobs, who had hated the film, was enthusiastic about and later even invited the actor to impersonate him at conventions. Anthony Michael Hall is equally impressive as completely different character – a seemingly harmless geek, sometimes prone to accident and reckless behaviour and often pathetic when it comes to relationship with women, but nevertheless very intelligent businessman who would ultimately outsmart Jobs. Wyle’s and Hall’s performances are well matched by Joey Slotnick who as Wozniak provides some sort of moral anchor and John Di Maggio who provides a little bit of comic relief.

Pirates of Silicon Valley ends at the best possible time, at the end of the last century when the ideas and achievements of both men were matter of speculation. In next decade, those achievements, for better and worse, became part of everyday life and any film maker wanting to portray those two figure in the way Burke portrayed them here would need much bigger effort.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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