Bauernopfer - Spiel der Könige

As a film about Bobby Fischer, it works much better than a chess film, but the problem is that you can't separate these two things. In other words, in order to make an excellent movie about Bobby Fischer at the time of his greatest chess successes, the movie also has to work as a chess film to a certain extent. And this, unlike the Luzhin Defence, did not happen. Although you may be disappointed that out of so long and interesting Bobby Fischer's life story the movie focuses only on the period before and during the famous series with Spaskky to the sixth game, this is not the main issue. The main issue is the absence of tension and Zwick's failure to make everyone start to care about the chess. From the beginning, he ignores the game itself and offers only (semi) details of the pieces, so if you don't know what the breakthrough and ingeniousness of Ficher's strategies from Reykjavík 1972 is about, then you won't even find out watching this movie, not even remotely. You'll just have to do with the fact that it is simply "exceptional". The movie not only does not show some of the characters directly but it neither does help to explain them. Maguire did his job well, but considering how interesting his character was, his performance is not that interesting; especially when Schreiber’s performance is obviously much better (I do not mean on the chess board, but actually on the chess board too...). And he even has almost no room apart from the motionless sitting at the desk. (12.12.2015)

Clever lad, that Maguire. He even makes you believe that taking care of him during tournaments must have been a harder road than being a tour manager for GG Allin. That and the fact that Zwick managed to make the chess matches really exciting sequences thanks to the editing and the many different camera angles are the main reasons to sing its praises. The resignation from a certain idealization of the protagonist is also pleasing, and we will not be deprived of his views on Jews, which would make the likes of Adam Bartoš pop the hook from his trousers. Believe me, it must have been quite an effort to promote such a character overseas. But what's mainly disappointing is the lack of courage to actually fill this biopic with four essential characters, so Fischer and I have to sit through several unnecessary cameos that only serve to switch between the side-plots for the thrilling finale everyone's watching on TV. It's as if the film is afraid that it's unable to showcase the importance and tension of the chess game of the century on its own merits. (02.07.2018)

Chess players are definitely interesting people and, in a way, geniuses. One almost wonders why they dedicate their efforts only to the game. The creators of the film "Pawn Sacrifice" did what was necessary. They filmed a historical event in an interesting way, both from the perspective of the characters and from the perspective of their chess battle, which is truly captivating in the end. (22.12.2015)