AntiTrust

2001 Mystery & Suspense

Just how far should one man go to stay ahead of his competition? Milo Hoffmann (Ryan Phillippe) is a young and gifted computer software designer who with his close friend Teddy is about to launch a high-tech start-up firm based on Milo's inventive ideas in convergence, in which he's helping to create new ways for different forms of digital technology to work in harmony. However, before Milo and Teddy can get their company off the ground, Milo receives a very tempting offer from Gary Winston (Tim Robbins), a trailblazing genius in the digital world who has turned his company N.U.R.V. (which stands for "Never Underestimate Radical Vision") into one of the richest and most powerful computer firms on Earth. While Milo is sympathetic to Teddy's beliefs that computer technology should belong to the people and that open source software is the most promising future lies, Winston has long been Milo's role model in design and research, and Milo feels Winston's offer is too good to pass up. Milo and his girlfriend Alice Poulson (Claire Forlani) move out to Silicon Valley, and at first Milo thrives on the challenges of his new position, and develops a close working relationship with fellow designer Lisa Calighan (Rachael Leigh Cook). But Milo underestimates the ruthlessness of the leading-edge software industry, and he soon learns there's a sinister undercurrent to Winston's drive to stay on top. Antitrust earned rising star Ryan Phillippe his first million-dollar paycheck after well-regarded roles in 54 and Cruel Intentions. more..

Director: Peter Howitt

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Rachael Leigh Cook, Claire Forlani,Tim Robbins, Richard Roundtree

Reviews

  • Robbins' performance as Winston is the best thing in the movie.

    Andy Seiler - USA Today

    29 November 2012

  • It is ultimately more routine than provocative, despite the timeliness and seriousness of the issues it raises.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    29 November 2012

  • I do wish Mr. Robbins's one-note co-stars had been worthy of his performance, and that some of the melodramatics hadn't been quite so slapdash.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    29 November 2012

  • The plot of Antitrust is intricate and uneven, overloaded with twists and not very jolting surprises.

    Dana Stevens - The New York Times

    29 November 2012

  • They might have been able to make a nice little thriller out of Antitrust if they'd kept one eye on the Goofy Meter.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    29 November 2012

Awards

  • Democracy

    Political Film Society (2002)

     
  • Best Director

    Shanghai International Film Festival (2001)

  • Film - Choice Actor

    Teen Choice Awards (2001)

     
  • Best Original Score of the Year Not Released on an Album

    World Soundtrack Awards (2001)