Pawn Sacrifice

Released By: Universal Pictures

Run Time: 115 Minutes

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Michael Stuhlbarg, Peter Sarsgaard

Synopsis:

“In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. Also starring Liev Schreiber and Peter Sarsgaard, “Pawn Sacrifice” chronicles Fischer’s terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.”

My Review:

Pawn Sacrifice is the interesting true story of Bobby Fischer, who was an “American Chess Prodigy” from Brooklyn, New York. Bobby’s goal was to be the best chess player in the world. Although he was a true genius, he constantly struggled with mental issues such as paranoia, and what seemed to be aspergers. Throughout the film, you see him struggle with reality as he thought that the Russians were watching, and listening in on him. Tobey Maguire did a fantastic job in this movie, as you can see his character breaking down, and getting worse and worse as the story unfolds. Liev Schreiber was also really good in the film, showing his characters brilliance, and confidence in the game. The acting, and portrayal of all of the characters were done really well. In addition to the great acting, the cinematography and the score went hand in hand, and were both beautifully done. The film did however seem to drag at times, making it seem a lot longer than it actually was. Some of the scenes seemed to be unnecessary, and others recycled the same topics. By the end, even though I enjoyed the experience, I found myself getting restless and wondering when it was going to end. Overall, I had a good time watching this film but it wasn’t perfect. The cast, acting, cinematography, and score were the high points of it but I feel that it could’ve been trimmed down by about 30 minutes. I’ve personally never been a fan of chess but the way that the film was done, had me interested. I would recommend it to people who love good acting, an interesting story, and who enjoy slow burners.

Overall Rating: 7 Out Of 10 Stars