When you’ve not both accomplished as much Bobby Fischer and, let’s face it, also said as many insane, terrible things, the biopic is a total inevitability. It won’t come to us in the traditional life-to-death stylings, however, instead seen through the prism of a political thriller — one involving chess, of course, but nevertheless a thrilling game of chess. So is the approach of Pawn Sacrifice, Edward Zwick‘s picture starring Tobey Maguire as the reclusive genius during his struggle with the “Match of the Century,” a massively observed game held against USSR champion Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber).
As it goes in more or less every film made about a genius, though, other things plague him, and all signs point toward this, more than mere pawns and rooks, being the crux of Sacrifice‘s drama. How well it balances the public and private life was a matter of debate among some critics when the film premiered at Toronto last year — not that the reaction was particularly strong either way. Expectations for this one are thus moderate, but some of what’s on display in this preview — from Maguire’s turn to Bradford Young’s cinematography — certainly impress when seen in flashes. Absorbing them as a whole prove to be a pleasure.
Have a look at the trailer below (via Apple):
Synopsis:
In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. Also starring Liev Schreiber and Peter Sarsgaard, Pawn Sacrifice chronicles Fischer’s terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.
Pawn Sacrifice will open on September 18.