Review of Pawn Sacrifice (2015) by Prentice S — 26 Sep 2015

"Pawn Sacrifice" is quite possibly the perfect movie for someone like me. As an historian, any Cold War narrative is likely to make a good film. Taking one of the most-talked-about sporting events in modern history and making into one man's personal, triumphant downfall is a near-perfect idea.

Bobby Fischer is the ideal character for a biopic: he's haunted, he's immensely talented, and he is imminently watchable. Heck, half of the world watched him play Boris Spassky in 1972 for the World Championship.

And I think Tobey Maguire was the perfect man to play him. He brought a manic electricity to the role, bringing these insane mental deficiencies that brought Fischer down after his victory. Maguire is fantastic here, making easily his best role to date.

Peter Sarsgaard and Liew Schreiber are also excellent, particularly Schreiber, who highlights Spassky's own insecurities. The inclusion of the Cold War narrative over this film is excellent, but I think the best touch is the cinematography.

Edward Zwick inserts Maguire and Schreiber over old news reports; he also films with older cameras, making for videos that feel more like documentary than film. "Pawn Sacrifice," in every way, is definitely one of the best films of the year.

I am shocked it isn't getting more attention than it is: it deserves so much more.