Running time: 109 minutes
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Tim Robbins, Claire Forlani, Rachael Leigh Cook, Douglas McFerran, Richard Roundtree
Rating 2 out of 10
Sooner or later, someone in Hollywood is going to realise that Ryan Phillippe can't act, that good looks are no substitute for natural talent. Until that time - coinciding with the inaugural flight of a pig - we'll have to suffer dross like Antitrust, a lifeless techno-thriller made from the same hardware as The Net and Enemy Of The State.Genius computer programmer Milo Hoffman (Phillippe) is aggressively recruited by CEO Gary Winston (Robbins) to join his high-tech global software giant NURV (Never Underestimate Radical Vision).
Milo's artist girlfriend Alice (Forlani) is all for the move - more money, better promotion opportunities - but Milo and his geek friends aren't so sure.
Their suspicions seem founded when Milo begins to suspect that some of NURV's state-of-the-art software may have been acquired illegally. Aided by colleague Lisa (Cook), Milo attempts to uncover the truth, and keep himself alive long enough to alert the authorities.
Phillippe's non-performance, coupled with a jaw-droppingly inane screenplay, destroys any chance the audience might have to sympathise with Milo. We don't care if the techno-ragamuffin escapes NURV - to be honest, our only concern is that the film finishes as soon as possible.
Robbins does a passable impression of Bill Gates (coincidental, I'm sure), and chews scenery to pass the time. Forlani and Cook both look great, and vamp tirelessly to keep Milo's hard drive whirring, but serve little purpose in the not-so-grand scheme of things.
The screenplay leaps awkwardly from one contrivance to the next - it may as well have been randomly generated by computer for all the sense it makes. Heaven knows why Howitt, who helmed the delightful Sliding Doors, sold his soul to Hollywood to make trash like this.
Antitrust is predictable, nonsensical and dreadfully dull. Do not download at any cost.
