‘Pawn Sacrifice’ puts forth the true story of the 1972 chess match that was held between Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) and the US’ Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) during the cold war, with the title of universal champion at stake. While the Soviets were the undisputed winners at the game of Chess, Fischer was a stubborn genius.
Edward Zwick’s ‘Pawn Sacrifice’, is quite impressive in the manner it shows Fischer’s crazy genius, and does a great job in proving itself as a definitive sports film that too about the game of chess, which doesn’t find as many takers as others sports.
The film, which has strong undertones of Capitalism vs Communism introduces Fischer as a chess-obsessed child raised by a socialist, Jewish single mother (Lily Rabe) in the Brooklyn back in 1950s. Fischer manages to grab everyone’s attention – including that of a manager and attorney (Michael Stuhlbarg) who knows prominent people in the domain of chess and a priest (Peter Sarsgaard) who later mentors Fischer - when he defeats a local player (with top ranking) who is years elder to him.
Zwick plays its safe by strictly following the key elements of a basic sports biopic. The viewers get to see Fischer as a child, how his obsession help him earn stardom at a young age, the impact of becoming US champion just when he is in his teens and being all prepared in mid 20s to be pitted against the formidable Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber).
Tobey Maguire, who is 40, has an amazing potential as an actor. And with ‘Pawn Sacrifice’ he gives one of the most unforgettable performances of his career. He not only does justice to Fischer’s genius, but also gives a believable representation of his eccentric behavior and his fall into a paranoid. Director Zwicks too needs to be applauded for the fine detailing of the scenes.
Don’t be surprised if Liev Schreiber bags top honours at key award functions. Schreiber does all it takes to be remembered as a Russian villain who is striking in making a character which is as intriguing and difficult to understand as that of Fischer. Stuhlbarg and Sarsgaard succeed in keeping the viewers engaged.
What makes 'Pawan Sacrifice' an interesting watch is the fact that you needn't have huge interest in the game of chess to fathom its moves and complexities.
Rating: 3/5About the AuthorDivya Pal Born and raised in Delhi, Divya Pal divides her time between experiencing new things and trying to being an adventure sports enthusiast. Known for her...Read Morefirst published:September 20, 2015, 22:20 ISTlast updated:September 29, 2015, 15:56 IST
window._taboola = window._taboola || [];_taboola.push({mode: 'thumbnails-mid-article',container: 'taboola-mid-article-thumbnails',placement: 'Mid Article Thumbnails',target_type: 'mix'});
let eventFire = false;
window.addEventListener('scroll', () => {
if (window.taboolaInt && !eventFire) {
setTimeout(() => {
ga('send', 'event', 'Mid Article Thumbnails', 'PV');
ga('set', 'dimension22', "Taboola Yes");
}, 4000);
eventFire = true;
}
});
window._taboola = window._taboola || [];_taboola.push({mode: 'thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' });Latest News
If the number of biopics being churned out every year is anything to go by then both directors and viewers share an obsession with recreations of events that happened in the past. Whether it is an event of historical significance or about the life of celebrities, it’s essentially the urge that drives our desire to watch biopics, unearth the truth and allow us to rediscover our favourite stars as human beings.
‘Pawn Sacrifice’ puts forth the true story of the 1972 chess match that was held between Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) and the US’ Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) during the cold war, with the title of universal champion at stake. While the Soviets were the undisputed winners at the game of Chess, Fischer was a stubborn genius.
Edward Zwick’s ‘Pawn Sacrifice’, is quite impressive in the manner it shows Fischer’s crazy genius, and does a great job in proving itself as a definitive sports film that too about the game of chess, which doesn’t find as many takers as others sports.
The film, which has strong undertones of Capitalism vs Communism introduces Fischer as a chess-obsessed child raised by a socialist, Jewish single mother (Lily Rabe) in the Brooklyn back in 1950s. Fischer manages to grab everyone’s attention – including that of a manager and attorney (Michael Stuhlbarg) who knows prominent people in the domain of chess and a priest (Peter Sarsgaard) who later mentors Fischer - when he defeats a local player (with top ranking) who is years elder to him.
Zwick plays its safe by strictly following the key elements of a basic sports biopic. The viewers get to see Fischer as a child, how his obsession help him earn stardom at a young age, the impact of becoming US champion just when he is in his teens and being all prepared in mid 20s to be pitted against the formidable Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber).
Tobey Maguire, who is 40, has an amazing potential as an actor. And with ‘Pawn Sacrifice’ he gives one of the most unforgettable performances of his career. He not only does justice to Fischer’s genius, but also gives a believable representation of his eccentric behavior and his fall into a paranoid. Director Zwicks too needs to be applauded for the fine detailing of the scenes.
Don’t be surprised if Liev Schreiber bags top honours at key award functions. Schreiber does all it takes to be remembered as a Russian villain who is striking in making a character which is as intriguing and difficult to understand as that of Fischer. Stuhlbarg and Sarsgaard succeed in keeping the viewers engaged.
What makes 'Pawan Sacrifice' an interesting watch is the fact that you needn't have huge interest in the game of chess to fathom its moves and complexities.
Rating: 3/5
Comments
0 comment