A Shakespearean drama in arcade games. “King of Kong” delivers the ultimate underdog story in gaming docs.
Underdog Steve Wiebe, a high school teacher (and laid-off Boeing engineer and dad), tackles the Donkey Kong world record. Billy Mitchell, hot sauce mogul, is Steve’s flamboyant foe….
Billy, arcade champion, plays the villain and takes center stage. His charisma clashes with underdog Wiebe.
Tension peaks in a climactic showdown—Wiebe, in his garage, aims for the high score.
“COACH: You got this.
STEVE: Can’t mess up now.”
Gordon skillfully weaves interviews and real-time events. You’re not just watching; you’re invested. Walter Day, referee and founder of Twin Galaxies, adds depth—serving as both mentor and additiional villain.
Quirky 80s soundtrack perfectly underscore the retro vibe.
Top reason to enjoy: Witness the absurd intensity over a retro game. No fluff, all substance.
King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters Trailer
King of Kong Streaming
You can watch “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXLQqcHcJDQ or clicking the embed below:
You can also watch it on:
- King of Kong on Apple TV ($2.99)
- King of Kong on Microsoft.com ($2.99)
- King of Kong on Amazon’s Prime Video ($3.39)
- Other options are here: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-king-of-kong-a-fistful-of-quarters-2007
Vitals
- Genre: Gaming, Competition
- Release Date: August 17, 2007
- Director: Seth Gordon
- Narrator: None
- Duration: 79 minutes
My Favorite Parts (includes Spoiler Alerts!)
- Steve Wiebe (early 30s) finds validation through Donkey Kong.
- Billy Mitchell reveals manipulative genius.
- Wiebe sets high score, voided by Twin Galaxies.
- Wiebe conquers Mitchell’s score at Funspot. Crowd roars.
- “Fair is a four-letter word.” Drama unfolds.
- Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa — it’s known as the “Mecca of gaming”, and the annual event called Funspot in New Hampshire, where gamers compete for high scores.
- Mitchell’s score (which was recorded on videotape (not live) was called into question by other gamers who believed he may have cheated by using an emulator instead of an arcade machine. In the end, Wiebe achieved a high score of 1,006,600 points, which was higher than Mitchell’s previously recognized world record score of 1,047,200 points. Twin Galaxies finally recognized him as Donkey Kong champion.
- Futurist Kevin Kelly on King of Kong: “There was a documentary called King of Kong, which was about the champion — the Donkey Kong video game. What was underrated about it and what was fabulous about this movie was that there was a villain. There’s not that many documentaries that have villains, and here was a villain, and they were filming — the villain basically gave them access to his whole side of it, and even though he was incredibly villainous and scheming and just underhanded, he didn’t think he was, but it was very obvious to everybody else he was. That made a really fabulous documentary, because you’ve got a villain in there and you’re seeing the villain the whole time. So I think that’s underrated.” source: https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/kevin-kelly/
A Cool Scene
STEVE WIEBE: “I just want a fair shot.”
BILLY MITCHELL: “There are rules.”
STEVE WIEBE: “But are the rules fair?”
After the Doc
Billy Mitchell ran into some trouble after The King of Kong. Check out this video (Billy Mitchell And The Red Joystick Of Destiny) to see him allegedly getting caught playing a modified Donkey Kong machine to win a new world record.
[long pause]
BILLY MITCHELL: “Fair is a four-letter word.”