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7

BrianMcCriticDec 24, 2015

This is an extremely well made film about the life of Bobby Fischer. Tobey Maguire is great as Bobby Fischer you really see what this guys mind is going through. I do feel the fact that Fischer is so hard to route for pulls you awayThis is an extremely well made film about the life of Bobby Fischer. Tobey Maguire is great as Bobby Fischer you really see what this guys mind is going through. I do feel the fact that Fischer is so hard to route for pulls you away emotionally in some ways. In the end the film works because of the great performances. B+… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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7

geo333Apr 8, 2016

Pawn Sacrifice tells a story of a great prodigy of chess about his inner and outer conflicts during his journey to become the best, add to that the cold war conflict of that era that influences him in his decisions, Overall, a good movie toPawn Sacrifice tells a story of a great prodigy of chess about his inner and outer conflicts during his journey to become the best, add to that the cold war conflict of that era that influences him in his decisions, Overall, a good movie to watch about a great person,… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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8

EpicLadySpongeFeb 4, 2016

Enjoyable movie designed for enjoying and that's it. If you want another movie like this, cross your fingers, keep promises, and hope that it'll happen one day.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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6

netflicSep 28, 2015

This is a bio-pic about a chess match between Bobby Fisher and Soviet Grandmaster and then chess world champion Boris Spassky.
It could have been a very good movie. Tobey Maguire played Bobby Fisher and he did an excellent job.
But whatThis is a bio-pic about a chess match between Bobby Fisher and Soviet Grandmaster and then chess world champion Boris Spassky.
It could have been a very good movie. Tobey Maguire played Bobby Fisher and he did an excellent job.
But what hurts the movie in my opinion is poor casting (in some cases, namely, Spassky’s role) and details that do not look right.
"The devil is in the details".
I am a demanding movie goer, and if details look phony, especially in a bio-pic, the movie looses credibility and therefore is not a good one.
As I mentioned above, Boris Spassky was, of course, a Soviet Grandmaster, and he could not speak Russian with an American accent. The actor who plays Spassky is too buff and looks more like a boxing champion than a chess player. There are dozens of native Russian speaking actors in this movie. Spassky's role was not that big. Every time he spoke, it bothered me. An interview that Bobby Fisher gave to "60 Minutes" on CBS in 1972 did not look real either. Either you make it look right, or do not put it into the movie... I could go on and on.
Having said that, the over-all atmosphere of Cold War times is caught quite nicely. Plenty of chronicle reels that attach the movie to it's time frame.
If you are a chess enthusiast, do not miss it.
My score, though, is only 6. Could have been much higher.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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6

SpangleFeb 5, 2016

Though the performance from Tobey Maguire is fantastic and the mental condition aspect of the film is handled perfectly, Pawn Sacrifice does largely fall a bit flat. Though it is never boring or a bad film, it only rarely captivates and evenThough the performance from Tobey Maguire is fantastic and the mental condition aspect of the film is handled perfectly, Pawn Sacrifice does largely fall a bit flat. Though it is never boring or a bad film, it only rarely captivates and even worse, it is like every other biopic ever made. Following the biopic formula to a fault, Pawn Sacrifice gave me deja vu many times as I could have sworn I saw this film before, even though I had not. This is problematic for a biopic. Fortunately, the story of Bobby Fischer is quite interesting, the scenes of his mental turmoil are grueling and sad to watch, and the performances of Maguire, Peter Sarsgaard, and Liev Schrieber, are all very, very good. At the end of the day, I wish this one was just not so typical because it has a good story, but its generic nature certainly hurt it at the end of the day.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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10

JurassicParkFanSep 23, 2015

great performance, fantastic story, character development, pacing takes it's time, and how this movie is executed is very amazing. This is a movie worth watching this year.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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9

JoseOSep 26, 2015

This is an enjoyable about the life and times of the Chess Genius, Bobby Fischer. It tries to portray his life growing in Brooklyn and his obsession with the game of chess. It tries to explain where some of his paranoia might have started asThis is an enjoyable about the life and times of the Chess Genius, Bobby Fischer. It tries to portray his life growing in Brooklyn and his obsession with the game of chess. It tries to explain where some of his paranoia might have started as a child as a result of his mother being a communist. I thought Tobey McGuire did an excellent job of playing him. There were some minor inaccuracies in that while Fischer did capture the rook's pawn in game 1 against Spassky, he did not immediately resign. He kept playing the game even after Spassky trapped Fischer's bishop until Spassky got an advantage that could not be stopped.

There is also the matter of the room used for game 3. While game 3 was played in the room that was normally used for table tennis, the movie made it seem like several games were played there. I think only game 3 was played in that room before returning to the main playing area.

I also did not care for the lady that he met and had a physical relationship with since I don't think it needed to be included in the movie. Otherwise a very enjoyable movie about his life and the tragedy that fell him with his mental state upon his accomplishment of becoming the world chess champion.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

TVJerryOct 1, 2015

This bioipic follows the life of chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) from his boyhood days thru the tournament that made him a world champion. Even at an early age, he was peculiar and his mental issues develop throughout the film.This bioipic follows the life of chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) from his boyhood days thru the tournament that made him a world champion. Even at an early age, he was peculiar and his mental issues develop throughout the film. The structure repeats several times: arrogance, then paranoia, then a high stakes game. Watching people play chess is already unexciting, but repeat the process several times and it's downright excruciating. Even edited with plenty of cuts and angles, the underlying event is a snooze. Maguire plays the traits of arrogance and obsession without being sympathetic, although Liev Schreiber manages to make his character (Boris Spassky) compelling with few words.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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8

Compi24Sep 18, 2015

Easily the best biopic so far this year, "Pawn Sacrifice" is as much a cold war drama as it is a psychological character study and a sports movie, featuring some delightfully stylish directorship from Ed Zwick and quite possibly the greatestEasily the best biopic so far this year, "Pawn Sacrifice" is as much a cold war drama as it is a psychological character study and a sports movie, featuring some delightfully stylish directorship from Ed Zwick and quite possibly the greatest Tobey Maguire performance ever committed to film.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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6

AliceofXOct 1, 2015

Pawn Sacrifice is a good enough drama to leave you well entertained but
not good enough to leave a deep, lasting impression. It is terribly
uneven for one thing and can't decide if it wants to be a biography of Bobby Fischer or a story ofPawn Sacrifice is a good enough drama to leave you well entertained but
not good enough to leave a deep, lasting impression. It is terribly
uneven for one thing and can't decide if it wants to be a biography of
Bobby Fischer or a story of that moment, their game, and it's meaning
for that time. Is it about the game of chess or a man's descent into
paranoia and madness? It undecidedly wavers between the various points
and can't make them come together to a satisfying whole.

That said there is nothing particularly bad about Pawn Sacrifice. Even
though the story is mediocre the cast all give good performances. Tobey
Maguire especially stands out by creating a character that is a
brilliant yet arrogant genius slowly loosing his senses, more pitiable
than likable. He is the most memorable thing about this film.

Paranoia is the one thing that the movie does really well. It creates
an interesting atmosphere of fear and distrust. But in the end there is
nothing that really shines about this film and that is always kind of
sad about biographical films because it is after all someone else's
life story that you are using.

Overall Pawn Sacrifice is a decent film, solid entertainment, but
nothing to make you want to rush to the theatres.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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0

jhepSep 29, 2015

........the direction of this film is SO HEAVY HANDED that I soon felt numb and then indifferent and bored........it feels like a 1970s Made-for-TV movie that used to make a lot of sense when you were 12 years old i.e., everything gets........the direction of this film is SO HEAVY HANDED that I soon felt numb and then indifferent and bored........it feels like a 1970s Made-for-TV movie that used to make a lot of sense when you were 12 years old i.e., everything gets TELEGRAPHED to you in scene after scene and those ominous words "dumbed down" soon hover over every scene...... the scattered all-over-the-map script seems to be searching in vain for a focus to help organize the material.......to moderate this criticism somewhat, I would add that biography can be one of the most unforgiving film genres there is.......aesthetically- speaking people often end up living extremely unsatisfying lives !… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

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8

Brent_MarchantSep 19, 2015

An excellent period piece biopic about an event and a persona that captivated the world for reasons other than its stated purpose. While the film could have been a bit stronger on the back story of the principals involved, the filmAn excellent period piece biopic about an event and a persona that captivated the world for reasons other than its stated purpose. While the film could have been a bit stronger on the back story of the principals involved, the film nevertheless effectively conveys its primary narrative, the implications involved in it, and the look, feel and hype of the era. Tobey Maguire does his best screen work here, backed by an excellent supporting cast.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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5

RvwFromUpHereNov 2, 2015

Who: Tobey Maguire, A Serious Man, and Wolverine's Brother as Boris Spassky
What: A movie where Tobey Maguire is actually a good actor and doesn't make the Uncle Ben cry-face at all
Where: The place where every kid in chess club dreams ofWho: Tobey Maguire, A Serious Man, and Wolverine's Brother as Boris Spassky
What: A movie where Tobey Maguire is actually a good actor and doesn't make the Uncle Ben cry-face at all
Where: The place where every kid in chess club dreams of going, which is apparently Iceland...
When (can I watch again): A few years
Why: If you like chess, this is probably the only movie other than the end of X2: X-Men United that will satiate your theatrical needs… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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0

shaunmedFeb 6, 2016

Bobby Fisher is not nearly the best chess player nor worthy of the multitudinous movies about him sheerly as he is an uninteresting character. Just not that interesting.

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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10

moviecritic68Sep 30, 2015

This movie will be appreciated more by people who lived during this era That being said ...BRILLIANT |||
What a great adaption of the importance which was placed on each of their shoulders by their governments. Nationalism was at an allThis movie will be appreciated more by people who lived during this era That being said ...BRILLIANT |||
What a great adaption of the importance which was placed on each of their shoulders by their governments. Nationalism was at an all time high & the Cold War helped stoke the fire. Toby Maquire was absolutely spectacular as was the supporting cast. By far the "Best Movie" frontrunner in my opinion. BRAVO ...BRAVO… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

DukeJonSep 26, 2019

In 1972 there's was plenty of stuff going on. The moon landings were still happening. There was Watergate. The Vietnam War. The Yom Kippur war. So why was the game of chess dominating the mainstream media for several months? Because of theIn 1972 there's was plenty of stuff going on. The moon landings were still happening. There was Watergate. The Vietnam War. The Yom Kippur war. So why was the game of chess dominating the mainstream media for several months? Because of the cold-war battle between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. It was so famous it caused a huge spike in chess interest around the world for the next decade. However this movie didn't make me feel engaged in anyway. It was largely factual, but somehow made the event seem small and inconsequential. If you want to experience just how big this chess event was instead watch the excellent "Bobby Fisher against the world" documentary.… Expand