Pawn Sacrifice is a Cold War-era biopic that stars Tobey Maguire as Bobby Fischer, an American chess Grandmaster, as he takes on the Soviet Union’s greatest player, Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber).
At 115 minutes, Pawn Sacrifice feels far longer than it actually is. This is due to the film retreading familiar biopic “talking points”. Presenting Fisher and Spassky’s match as a metaphorical battle in the Cold War, while being historically accurate, seems like a trope at this point.
The entire first act, where we see a young Bobby Fischer display intelligence beyond his years, feels like it is only there to drive home the point that Fischer is an incredibly talented chess player. Something nobody would dispute. These early scenes tie very loosely into the rest of the film. We see Bobby Fischer’s first mentor watching Fischer on TV during the finale. And any characterization of Fischer that was made was then re-made throughout the duration of Pawn Sacrifice.
The “Young Fischer” first act also delays a lot of what makes Pawn Sacrifice good, including strong performances from Tobey Maguire, Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg. The latter two actors share some great scenes together. As the adult Fischer’s mentors, Sarsgaard and Stuhlbarg dissect Fischer’s actions while pulling him in opposite directions.
Maguire performs admirably as Bobby Fischer, he is brash and yet troubled, meek but not humble. As his foil, Liev Schreiber’s performance is quiet in a literal sense. Spassky hardly speaks, aside from some sparse Russian dialogue. Within the film, this makes sense, however it’s hard not to think that Schrieber’s talents go under-utilized.
Pawn Sacrifice is at its most interesting when Fischer’s stability begins to wane. However, the film is more focused on the Cold War narrative than Fisher’s character arc. The finished product ends up being a safe, dull biopic.
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