BootDigest
Such a frustrating disappointment
Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
SpunkySelfTwitter
It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
Matrixiole
Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.
Pablo
this is a good movie. If you are interested in chess, bobby fischer, the cold war or just history in general this is for you. Great performances all around and Tobey Maguire in particular breathes life into the legend of eccentric chess genius Bobby Fischer. The production values are top notch. The photography is artistic and the script is compelling.
adonis98-743-186503
During the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. With an impressive performance by Tobey Maguire Pawn Sacrifice is a film with a lot of tension mostly every time there's a chess scene between Fischer and his other opponents as for negatives the rest of the cast is just there and it's pacing is kinda moody and that ruined the whole film for me a bit and i'm gonna give it an 7.0 out of 10. It's still worth your time just for Maguire's performance but if you except something way more you will probably be left disappointed.
Desertman84
Pawn Sacrifice is a biographical film based on the true story of US Chess Grand Master(GM) Bobby Fischer particularly his experiences leading to his match with Russian GM Boris Spassky during the 1972 World Chess Championships. It stars Tobey Maguire as Bobby Fischer and Liev Schreiber as Boris Spassky together with Lily Rabe and Peter Sarsgaard. The story starts when Bobby Fischer was a young child at age 6 who feels that he is being watched by Russian spies.Then,we get to see him develop into becoming a great player of chess after he immerses himself into the sport.This leads him to becoming the youngest Grandmaster in the world.Cold War is ongoing and Russians apparently have dominated the sport.This leads Fischer have more determination to become better in the sport and to win against the Russian grandmasters for the sake of his country.His efforts leads him to meet GM Boris Spassky in the 1972 World Chess Championship in the championship match and become fortunate enough to beat him. Well,it was nice to see this film. Tobey Maguire did well in his portrayal of Fischer.He definitely remains one of the better actors we have in Hollywood today.Too bad that it does not really dig deep into the subject particularly Fischer's life and the Russian dominance in chess.A better research on the topic could have made it a better film.In the end,it just became a watchable movie that a viewer will surely enjoy.
SnoopyStyle
Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) is a chess master and Russian Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) is his nemesis. His mother is a Russian immigrant who instilled a fear of spying in him. They don't get along and become estranged. As he rises in chess rankings, he is confronted by the Russian chess players playing as a team. He quits calling them cheaters. Lawyer Paul Marshall (Michael Stuhlbarg) recruits Bobby to continue playing as a way to fight the Cold War. Father Bill Lombardy (Peter Sarsgaard) is his constant companion and the only friend who understands since he beat both Bobby and Boris when they were young. Bobby's mind deteriorates and he gets more paranoid. His sister Joan Fischer (Lily Rabe) fears for his mental health.Tobey Maguire delivers an intriguing performance of obsession and growing madness. The chess is more compelling than expected. The big match between Fischer and Spassky turns into psychological warfare. It touches on the specific era of the Cold War. It's a maddening character study and a surprisingly effective thriller.