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 early home computing. Gates’s pursuit of Jobs, and the ultimate turning of the table in the late 1990s, forms the dramatic thrust of the entire story.

Apparently, though he disliked the actual content of the film, Jobs was so impressed with Wyle’s portrayal of him that he invited him to imitate him and open an Apple conference. Audience members soon realized the joke, and Jobs came out to greet the crowd. Clocking in at a mere 95 minutes, Pirates makes you realize how bloated some biopics can be. Pirates hasn’t dated that much considering it was made for television - from a craft perspective, though it does play into some tropes of the era, it feels remarkably fresh. Somebody should do a real reissue of the film.

8/10