A very well made movie

Rating: 7/10 (1 September 2017)

PAWN SACRIFICE is, on the face of it, a film about the famous chess match between American and Russian rivals Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in the 1970s. However, it's not so much about chess, and rather a psychological portrait of a mentally ill man. Fischer was a real character who was adversely affected by the pressure of the international chess scene, and this movie gets inside his head in a very clever and intense way. That's no surprise given that it was directed by the excellent Edward Zwick, who has directed such superlative fare as GLORY and THE LAST SAMURAI in the past. Tobey Maguire gives a very good performance as the nervy protagonist and Liev Schreiber is perfect as his rival; the constantly underrated Michael Stuhlbarg also excels in support. Overall this is a very well made movie, one which kept my interest throughout.