Pirates of Silicon Valley (Dorine Blunk/Martyn Burke, 1999, USA)
Pirates of Silicon Valley is one of the great TV movies of the 1990s, and certainly one of the great TV movies of all time. Arriving just before the dawn of the premium TV era and HBO dominance, when prestige TV became the norm, Pirates arrived on TNT in the summer of 1999. Those who watched TV in the late 1990s will remember how heavily the film was promoted. It is amazing to think now, with what we know about the trajectory of Steve Jobs and Apple, that this was still considered a true television event. If only they knew where things were headed… Noah Wyle is probably the best portrayal of Steve Jobs we’ve had onscreen. Capturing his transition from the freewheeling counterculture years to CEO of a major American corporation, Wyle captures both the “woo woo” and ruthless sides of Jobs. Anthony Michael Hall is also great as Bill Gates, another ruthless figure who is portrayed as a highly intelligent and manipulative operator who was able to make himself indispensable to the world of ...
