Movie Review: “Pawn Sacrifice” (2015)
“Pawn Sacrifice” came out last year and stars Tobey Maguire, who plays the role of the young chess prodigy Bobby Fischer as he rapidly ascended the ranks of the chess world in a quest to claim US supremacy and break a long reign of Russian control at the upper levels of the game. The film largely takes place through the sixties and early seventies, culminating in a showdown between Fischer and the reigning world chess champion, Boris Spassky (played by Liev Schreiber).
In real life, Bobby Fischer was a troubled man who dealt with mental health issues and a growing sense of paranoia. The film does not shy away from this, as Tobey Maguire portrays Fischer as a largely introverted, easily irritated, and highly paranoid person. In fact, it’s hard to really like the character of Fischer at all, as during his moments of clarity when he is not overwhelmed with paranoia he comes off as greedy and demanding (frequently setting unreasonable terms and demanding larger and larger sums of money to play chess), and then at his lowest moments, he evokes sympathy, while never exuding any real degree of likability. As far as I know, this could be a very accurate representation of the real Bobby Fishcher, but at the same time, it made for a character that wasn’t particularly compelling to watch.
The script for the film attempted to portray the showdown between Fischer and Spassky as a true extension of the Cold War, with Bobby’s lawyer and manager (played by Michael Stuhlbarg) repeatedly telling Bobby just how important a world chess championship for the Americans would be in the battle against communism. It’s hard not to feel that this patriotic sensibility is largely overplayed here to add drama and tension to a subject that otherwise doesn’t make for particularly compelling visual story telling (the slow and action free world of competitive chess).
Overall: While Tobey Maguire captures the paranoia and troubled nature of Bobby Fischer, it’s hard not to feel that the character is one dimensional. The film also becomes repetitive at times, as we witness Bobby have a number of tantrums throughout that don’t do anything to move the story forward or develop his character. He complains about his wages multiples times and refuses to play, he complains about the press repeatedly, amongst other demands. After a while Fischer’s unreasonable demands begin to feel predictable and boring. The main thing I found compelling about the film was the dynamic between Bobby and his family and friends who offer him support. The film shows us that without their help and guidance, Bobby Fischer would’ve stood no chance to remain focused enough to ascend to the level of greatness that he did in the world of chess.
My rating: 6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% (Top Critics)
Top billed actors: Tobey Maguire, Peter Sarsgaard, Liev Schreiber, Michael Stuhlbarg, Lily Rabe and Robin Weigert
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Rated PG13 for brief strong language, some sexual content and historical smoking
