Review of Pawn Sacrifice (2015) by Brandon G — 17 May 2016

A fascinating character piece, Pawn Sacrifice looks at the tragedy and genius of chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer. After withdrawing from competitive play American chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer is approached by a lawyer looking to be his backer and to help him to win the world chess championship and a victory for America in the Cold War; however Fischer's eccentricities and neurosis start to get more and more out of control and threaten to destroy everything that he's worked for.

Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, and Peter Sarsgaard lead the cast and give incredibly good performances. And director Edward Zwick does an impressive job at depicting Fischer's psychoses through his use of the camera.

But the storytelling is a little weak, feeling disjointed and underdeveloped at times. Yet overall Pawn Sacrifice is a gripping tale and a cautionary reminder of the price that often comes with pursuing greatness.