Review 739: Pawn Sacrifice

 

During the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when the challenges the Soviet Empire and prepares for a match against Russian chess player Boris 

The emotional core of the film is about this inevitable confrontation between genius and madness. As the film goes on and the more successful he becomes, Fischer’s mental state starts to deteriorate to the point where he can’t be seen with cameras.

Bobby Fischer was (and still is) considered the greatest chess player in the world and yet he had many demons and mental difficulties. In some ways, he was the original punk hero: Arrogant, he didn’t give a damn about what other people thought and 

Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of the legendary chess player is a nuanced one. Bringing to life his determination and struggles as well as his increasing sense of paranoia. Being famous comes with all kinds of pressure 


William Lombardy  He became almost indispensable because Bobby Fischer would do nothing without consulting William Lombardy.