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Starring: Taron Egerton, Toby Jones, Nikita Yefremov, Roger Allam, Anthony Boyle, Togo Igawa, Ken Yamamura, Ben Miles, Matthew Marsh, Rick Yune
OUR RATING: ★★★★☆
Story:
Apple TV+ bio-drama directed by Jon S. Baird. Inspired by a true story, Tetris (2023) centers on how one man, Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton), risked his life to outsmart the KGB and smuggle the world’s most famous video game out of the Soviet Union, and turn it into a worldwide sensation.
Best Quotes
Henk Rogers: Technology is the future, and video games are leading the charge.
Henk Rogers: GO didn’t go as planned. I couldn’t even keep my salesgirl interested. And I know how many excuses bank managers hear every day. But this is not an excuse. This is an opportunity. In fact, my little setback may have been the best thing to ever happen to us.
Bank Manager: Tetris. I don’t get it.
Henk Rogers: It’s a combination of tetra, Greek for four. All the games pieces are variants of four, and tennis.
Bank Manager: Tennis?
Dennis Jackson: Tennis. Yeah, supposedly, the Russian inventor, he likes tennis.
Henk Rogers: It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, Eddie.
Bank Manager: Heard that line before.
Henk Rogers: I played Tetris for five minutes, yeah. I still see falling blocks in my dreams. This game isn’t just addictive. It stays with you. It’s poetry. Art and math all working in magical synchronicity. It’s the perfect game.
Bank Manager: Is this a joke? You took the money you owed this bank for your failed video game to buy yet another video game?
Henk Rogers: Correct. But, Eddie, this is different. Tetris is already a hit.
Bank Manager: Where?
Henk Rogers: Russia.
Henk Rogers: It all began with a guy named Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov four years ago. By day, he worked as a programmer for the government at the Soviet Computer Science Center. But by night, he invented games for fun. His computer, a Stone Age Soviet piece of crap called an Electronika 60, didn’t even have a graphics card. His falling blocks were parentheses pushed together.
Henk Rogers: Alexey and a couple of buddies from work made the game IBM compatible. Which meant color graphics, 8-bit music, and floppy disks that people copied and shared for free. It spread like wildfire.
'This game isn't just addictive. It stays with you. It's poetry. Art and math all working in magical synchronicity. It's the perfect game.' - Henk Rogers (Tetris) Click To Tweet
Henk Rogers: But this is the Soviet Union, remember? Nothing gets out easily. It would take an entrepreneur to actually go there and monetize it.
Bank Manager: Who? You?
Henk Rogers: Jesus, no. I’m not that crazy.
Bank Manager: The Robert Maxwell? The billionaire media tycoon?
Henk Rogers: The one and only.
Bank Manager: Okay. Now that’s the type of businessman us bankers actually approve of. Maxwell pays his debts.
Robert Maxwell: We’ll start by licensing computer games, then video games, arcade games, board games, everything.
Yamauchi’s Assistant: We don’t use outside partners.
Henk Rogers: You don’t do it often, true. But you do make exceptions. Because you know as well as I do, partners are what make us great. That’s why Mario has Luigi. That’s why Zelda has Link. That’s why Mike Tyson has whoever he’s punching out in Punch-Out!
Henk Rogers: This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
'Partners are what make us great.' - Henk Rogers (Tetris) Click To Tweet
Akemi Rogers: This was not what you promised, Henk.
Henk Rogers: I know, but you know how unimaginative these bankers are. Pioneers have to bet the house to win.
Akemi Rogers: But not literally.
Henk Rogers: This is going to work. I promise.
Akemi Rogers: Is that a promise you can keep?
Henk Rogers: If we do this, we’re in control. So, yeah, it is.
Valentin Trifonov: [in Russian] I just wanted to meet the man responsible for almost destroying the Soviet Union.
Alexey Pajitnov: [in Russian] Excuse me?
Valentin Trifonov: [in Russian] Your game.
Valentin Trifonov: [in Russian] I can’t imagine how a game that is so popular here makes no money abroad. Someone is cheating.
'Life is hard, and we deserve our small celebrations.' - Alexey Pajitnov (Tetris) Click To Tweet
Henk Rogers: What the f***, Kevin?
Kevin Maxwell: No, it’s Mr. Maxwell.
Henk Rogers: Well, what the f***, Mr. Maxwell?
Henk Rogers: You know how, in Super Mario, when you’re running along and everything’s great, but suddenly a Piranha Plant pops out of nowhere and spews fire on you? Thing is, Yamauchi-san, Kevin Maxwell pulled a Piranha Plant on me and you. He reneged on my arcade rights, and I really need a mushroom to stay alive.
Howard Lincoln: Your cowboy reputation precedes you. Here. Sign this.
Henk Rogers: An NDA? Why?
Howard Lincoln: Because only ten other people in the world have seen what you’re about to see. And, to be honest, we don’t trust you.
Henk Rogers: Gentlemen, if you want to sell a couple hundred thousand Game Boys to little kids, package them with Mario. But if you want to sell millions of Game Boys to absolutely everyone, young and old, around the world, package them with Tetris.
Robert Stein: I’m doing my best.
Kevin Maxwell: No, do not say that. No, you’re not doing your best. In fact, on a scale from one to best, you’re doing less than zero, which is f*** all!
'History has a very strange way of repeating itself.' - Valentin Trifonov (Tetris) Click To Tweet
Kevin Maxwell: [referring to the buying worldwide handheld rights] We’ll consider your offer, Mr. Rogers.
Henk Rogers: I haven’t made one yet.
Kevin Maxwell: Yes.
Kevin Maxwell: We should give the Soviets some money.
Robert Maxwell: They don’t care about money, Son. They care about loyalty. Premier Gorbachev is my friend. We’re publishing his memoir. We’re loyal.
Robert Stein: Have you ever been in Moscow, Mr. Rogers? Have you ever negotiated with the Soviets? Do you know what it feels like to be in a country where everyone is watching you?
Henk Rogers: Screw it. I’m going to go to Moscow.
'Communism was never meant to prevent freedom. But, unfortunately, human greed got in the way.' - Mikhail Gorbachev (Tetris) Click To Tweet
Howard Lincoln: You’re walking into a country that still considers America enemy numero uno. If you go, we can’t protect you.
Henk Rogers: Okey dokey.
Sasha: You’re in need of succor?
Henk Rogers: Excuse me?
Sasha: Succor. Noun. Assistance in times of stress. Synonymous with help. Sasha. Translation services. Esteemed to meet you.
Sasha: Mr. Rogers, this is not America. Entering a government structure without invite is highly illegal.
Henk Rogers: Sasha, I didn’t travel five thousand miles to be stopped by a door.
Sasha: [referring to Belikov] He inquires, “What is Nintendo?”
Henk Rogers: Ha. Very funny. Nintendo is the most popular video game console in the world, sir.
Sasha: Mr. Rogers, I think we should vanish.
Henk Rogers: [referring to Belikov] He thinks I stole Tetris?
Sasha: Affirmative.
Henk Rogers: Tell him I have my whole life and then some invested in this game. He’s mistaken.
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