
During the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire.... (Full plot summary below)
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During the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire.
Leave your thoughts about Pawn Sacrifice.
| Killer Movie ReviewsAndrea ChaseWhether you know nothing about the game, or you are a grand master, the story of Bobby Fischer's rise to the world championship, and the toll it took on his already fragile psyche, has all the suspense and intrigue of an espionage thriller. |
| Seattle TimesJohn HartlZwick, who made the exceptional nuclear thriller, "Special Bulletin," once more proves his gift for generating suspense in his handling of the chess games the whole world watched in the early 1970s. |
| Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)Ken HankeLanding somewhere between art-house and solid mainstream entertainment, Pawn Sacrifice probably owes its art-house cred to its cast, subject matter and screenwriter Steven Knight . |
| Spirituality and PracticeFrederic and Mary Ann BrussatA call to speak out against the neglect of those with untreated mental illness. |
| The AtlanticDavid SimsLike all of Zwick's works, it's perfectly watchable fare, but it's often infuriating for its refusal to dig deeper into its incredibly compelling subject. |
| Minneapolis Star TribuneColin Covert"Pawn Sacrifice" is first-class right up to its incomplete endgame. |
| San Francisco ChronicleWalter V. AddiegoAs Fischer, Tobey Maguire is outstanding at capturing the man's intensity, arrogance and single-mindedness, while ensuring that the audience stops short of dismissing him as a talented screwball. |
| Missoula IndependentMolly LaichPawn Sacrifice has all the pieces in place (ha ha) and yet it's missing that intangible spark necessary to elevate a biopic beyond the realm of dramatic reenactment. |
| Flick FilosopherMaryAnn JohansonYawningly dull Cold War chess drama squanders the charms and talents of Tobey Maguire (as Bobby Fischer) and Liev Schreiber (as Boris Spassky). |
| Assignment XAbbie BernsteinChess is not an inherently cinematic game. Couple it with a main character who is actively unlikable, and it sounds like the makings of a movie that is at best hard to watch. Yet Pawn Sacrifice turns out to be immersive. |