Directed by : Edward Zwick
Written by : Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson, Steven Knight
Starring : Tobey Maguire, Michael Stuhlbarg, Peter Sarsgaard, Liev Schreiber,
Release Date : January 1, 2015
If you decide to watch "Pawn Sacrifice" and expect to learn about the game of chess, then this is not the movie for you. This film does not make much of an effort to allow viewers to feel immersed in the game, and it's hard to feel excited when some exciting chess move is being played on screen, because we don't really know what's going on! At least we learn a lot about some recent history, with this biographical look at chess icon Bobby Fischer.
Tobey Maguire does a phenomenal job as Bobby Fischer. When Fischer is most unhinged with his mental issues is when Maguire really gets to shine as an actor. Bobby Fischer does, says, and demands some outrageous things in this movie, and all those moments are just some fascinating stuff. The rest of the cast, from Michael Stuhlbarg and Peter Sarsgaard, do a great job balancing out the craziness of Bobby Fischer. Liev Schreiber is also excellent as his chess nemesis Boris Spassky.
Although I have issues with how left out I felt from the chess games, I did appreciate the build up and the tension of seeing Bobby Fischer attempt to be the world's greatest champion in chess. Since I'm not too familiar with this real life story, I enjoyed not knowing what crazy thing was going to happen next. Wow were there crazy things that apparently happens for what should be a simple chess tournament, and the people who play them.
Watch "Pawn Sacrifice" for the performances and appreciate this compelling biographical look at this true story. However, the obnoxiousness of Bobby Fischer's personality, and the lack of engagement with the chess games themselves, annoyed me a little.
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