Review of Pawn Sacrifice (2015) by Christopher E — 14 May 2016

Not only is it a story about one man's conquest to become the greatest chess player in the world, but a look into the paranoia that consumed him.

"Pawn Sacrifice" is the true story of Bobby Fischer, a chess fanatic - to put it lightly. Living in the era where Communism was a major threat and nations were on the brink of nuclear war, he decides to single-handily face the entire Soviet Union in the wits of Chess. As the whole world watched his battles, it was apparent that this was more important than the sport itself, and that his madness would lead to a world of crazy.

I was pretty interested in this movie initially, as I didn't really know much about Bobby Fischer and what he did. I've never been a chess guy, and hell, I don't even know the first thing about playing Chess. However, I think Tobey Maguire has plenty of talent, and the overall idea intrigued me. This movie actually exceeded my expectations and more.

The character of Bobby Fischer is an interesting one, albeit unlikable at times. I love seeing the mindset of this guy who was ultimately consumed by this one thing, and I loved learning more about what happened. After exploding onto the scenes as a young boy, he becomes so entranced and consumed by chess, ultimately driving him mad. To the public, although he was this figure that could take down the USSR in a different way, in reality, he was a mad, imaginative, crazy, admirable, astounding, and thought provoking man. I mean that all in a good way, as he did a lot for the world, but I like seeing that negative side of him explored. Although his character is not the most likable, it's still easy to follow along with his goals, and I was happy to be on board for the ride.

I think Tobey Maguire's performance was severely underrated, and he had more than a few eye opening moments. I'm disappointed whenever I hear reports saying Maguire's career is dead because I'm honestly a fan of his work. I feel like he really brought out the character of Fischer perfectly, and I would love to see the movie again just for his performance.

Like I stated earlier, I knew absolutely nothing about this situation. I have a decent amount of knowledge about the Cold War era itself, but I knew nothing of Fischer. In a biographical picture such as this one, it's important that we're not only entertained by the events on screen, but we also learn in depth information about the situation at hand. I felt like I learned a decent amount about what really went on during that time. However, those who already knew about these major events have come out and stated that the movie didn't go in depth, so let that be a message to those wanting to see this movie. Although it satisfied the needs of a viewer such as me, it didn't necessarily appeal to those familiar with the situation.

In the end, this was a well made film. It had its struggles as it was unable to give Fischer a relatable personality or a clear ark, but it was still entertaining and suspenseful all at once. I'm skeptical about the re-watch-ability factor for this movie, as a lot of the suspense came from the unknown knowledge of the outcome of certain events, but I would certainly buy it on Blu-Ray for the right price.