Gail Katz Productions, MICA Entertainment, Material Pictures,

Tobey Maguire, Peter Sarsgaard, Liev Schreiber, Michael Stuhlbarg, Lily Rabe, Robin Weigert, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Aiden Lovekamp, Conrad Pla

Throughout the 60’s the U.S. and the Russians were locked into the cold war. Each side tried to out shine the others. This docudrama is the story of the epic chess match between Bobby Fischer (Toby Maguire) and Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) which took place in 1972 to determine the world’s best chess champion. But though the climax of the film is the chess match, we get to learn a log about one of the strangest fellows on the planet, from the time he was a little boy until the world championship.

This movie feels like a documentary, although it’s not really. But it is the story of Bobby Fischer, who I remember from when I was a young adult. I remember the story as it was in the news every day, and I remember what a really strange fellow Bobby Fischer actually was. There is an air of mystery with this guy, and there’s a lot missing from this story. That is my biggest complaint with the film that keeps it getting a higher rating. It feels like they were shooting for a time limit, rather than telling the whole story. But what they did get, they did justice to. You won’t need to be a chess master (I certainly am not) to understand this movie. But a psychology degree or two might help. Tobey Maguire did an excellent job playing Bobby. I think he pulled of the character very well, and I was impressed with the range he was able to show. This is one of his best performances. Liev Schreiber is also a surprise as Boris Spassky too, as he was a well known figure, especially after he played against Bobby. He plays the relatively good-natured (for a Russian) opponent. He was totally believable as Spassky. As docudramas go, I did enjoy this film, but again, that may be due to my familiarity of the story. If you’ve never heard of him, though, and you enjoy biographical movies, this is worth watching. Don’t expect to be wowed or blown away, but it’s a interesting film, and one I’ve been waiting for a long time.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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