A new picture directed by Edward Zwick is a must see. A new picture written by Steven Knight is a must see. So when they team up, the results are something really special. The subject is chess and the story of two brilliant chess players, USA's Bobby Fischer and Russia's Boris Spassky.

 

PAWN SACRIFICE is a smooth blend of bio-pic and drama with a generous amount of humor. The period is showcased well through its production design, wardrobe, music and news clips from the era. 

 

Tobey Maguire plays chess genius Bobby Fischer who is as brilliant as he is crazy. Maguire has an innate likability that is well suited for this role because Fischer is very hard to like and the filmmakers have not sanded off the rough edges. Fischer is the protagonist here, but he is also really the antagonist as well as he continually sabotages himself because of his crazy behavior and ridiculous demands. He may have been playing for the USA on the world stage, but seeing him warts and all is not a pretty picture. Towards the end when he plays Spassky, I was rooting for the Russians!

 

Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick plays Teen Bobby Fischer and he gives a strong performance. He doesn't have the innate likability that Maguire has, so it's hard to like Teen Bobby when he starts to behave crazy.

 

Liev Schreiber can play just about anything and he beautifully embodies Russian chess genius Boris Spassky. Spassky is supposed to be the villain - the big scary Russian, but as portrayed here, he is simply the opponent, not the villain and he's quite likable. The picture could have given us more Spassky, but this is really Fischer's story.

 

The strong supporting cast includes Robin Weigert as Fischer's Mom, Conrad Pla as Fischer's chess mentor, Lily Rabe as Fischer's sister, Michael Stuhlbarg as Fischer's long suffering lawyer, and Peter Sarsgaard who gives an excellent performance as a chess playing priest who accompanies Fischer in his travels.  

 

The chess games are handled well and there is great tension both leading up to the key matches and in the matches themselves. These sequences almost feel like you are watching a thriller because you are on the edge of your seat.

 

My only real critique of the picture is that in Game 6, considered the greatest chess match every played, Fischer makes unprecedented moves and destroys Spassky. I would have liked to see more of this actual match along with an explanation of what was so groundbreaking and why Spassky couldn't defend himself or counter Fischer. I still don't understand what was so special about that game.

 

Whether or not you like chess or know how to play it, you will find something wonderful to enjoy in PAWN SACRIFICE, either the thrilling chess matches, great humor, strong performances or just great filmmaking. It's the first solid picture of the fall.