* * *
PAWN SACRIFICE. Directed by Edward Zwick, with Tobey Maguire, Peter Sarsgaard and Liev Schreiber.
REVIEW: Jordan Mintzer
THE turbulent life of Bobby Fischer – arguably the greatest chess player of all time – has already been the subject of an HBO documentary, while serving as a backdrop for Steven Zaillan’s laudable 1993 drama. But it’s never been recreated on screen, which is what writer Steven Knight and director Edward Zwick have attempted to do in Pawn Sacrifice, a classically helmed biopic that brings nothing new to the genre, but benefits from handsome craftsmanship and solid performances by Tobey Maguire as the Brooklyn boy wonder, and Liev Schreiber as his longtime Russian nemesis, Boris Spassky.
You don’t have to understand the rules of chess to admire the genius of Fischer, who began playing at age 6 and quickly rose to the top, his career culminating in the breathtaking defeat of Spassky at the 1972 World Chess Championship, after which he disappeared from the public eye and descended further and further into madness.
Flash-forwarding to the famous Reykjavik match that had the whole world on the edge of its seat, the script tracks back to Brooklyn in the early 50’s, where young Bobby lives with his mom, a left-wing activist associated with the Communist party. Growing up in such a household during the Red Scare years is the source of Bobby’s burgeoning paranoia.
Taking us through the usual biopic ups and downs, the film doesn’t break any new ground in terms of style or structure, with Zwick delivering a fairly standardised package, albeit one that’s both polished and compelling, especially when the US upstart plays the Russian champ for the first time in California.
It’s there that Maguire, who channels the chessman’s erratic gestures and penetrating gaze, comes into his own. Wearing sunglasses and speaking Russian like a pro, Schreiber is terrific as the reigning Soviet heavyweight, containing all emotion while showing that he’s man enough to respect his competitor.
But Bobby’s obsessions become increasingly harmful to both himself and those around him, nearly sabotaging the grand, nail-biting finale in 1972, which was memorable as much for Fischer’s unbearable conduct as it was for his brilliance. – Reuters/ Hollywood Reporter