THE KING OF KONG may, one day, make a great documentary

What makes a great documentary? Is it the question of access, of gaining interviews with all the principal players? Is it how close the documentarian can get to their subjects, a question of intimacy? Or one of scope, examining all the facets of a subject? I think THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS shows that what separates the good from the great is the ending.

Like Brian Cox (as Robert McKee in the brilliant ADAPTATION) would say, "Wow them in the end, and you've got a hit. You can have flaws, problems, but wow them in the end." The problem with THE KING OF KONG is that the film doesn't have an ending. I mean, it ends, but it doesn't conclude. The story is still ongoing, still in need of documentation, and by no means does the story feel like it's over.

It's pretty straight-up quest movie, as the innocent everyman Steve Wiebe fights to achieve supremacy in the world of Donkey Kong and beat the smug and conceited world champion, Billy Mitchell. There's several twists and turns presented in the film, as Wiebe comes at the throne several times and thinks he wins, only to not be recognized, or be disqualified, or have Mitchell snatch the title right back.

The first half of the film is great, character-driven stuff, as we're presented with the cause of the conflict and the backstory of the main two guys, but as the film goes on, it becomes more obsessive about documenting the events and the scores. And while that may be interesting in that it seems to mirror Wiebe's character as his life becomes increasingly about beating Mitchell and nothing else, I definitely felt like the movie was losing focus.

My favourite documentary is HOOP DREAMS, a film that took over a decade to film and edit. It must have been infinitely infuriating for the filmmakers to film for years, never knowing when the film would be fit to be finished. They managed to find an ending to that film that was narratively satisfying, while still allowing for the main characters' stories to progress. I hope this movie is re-edited in ten years, allowing for a clearer perspective of what was truly important to the story of these two men.

Until then, THE KING OF KONG will merely be a good doc, not a great one.