First, the Recap:
Genius. It is described as “exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability”. The look into the mind of someone who has this gift of being able to see and think beyond the human “norm” is always a fascinating journey, though it seems so often to be a path fraught with bouts of figurative or literal mental turmoil, ie: John Nash or Alan Turing. An American kid from Brooklyn during the formative Cold War years, Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) is one such genius, a chess prodigy and the youngest person to ever achieve grandmaster status. Raised in a difficult and tenuous home to a mother under FBI scrutiny for possible Communist sympathies, the game of chess became Bobby’s escape.
His skills growing to huge proportions in the United States and also abroad, the biggest challenge is then placed in front of him–to play the reigning world champion, Russian Boris Spassky (Live Schreiber). When their initial match goes decidedly wrong for Fischer, he retreats into a deepening, debilitating shell of obsessive paranoia that even the people closest to him–Father Bill Lombardy (Peter Sarsgaard), lawyer Paul Marshall (Michael Stuhlbarg), and his sister Joan (Lily Rabe)–have the largest challenges keeping him in any sense of reality. A subsequent rematch for the World Championship against Spassky in 1972 ensues, and even then, a mentally tortured Fischer begins to cause everyone to question whether he has what it takes to beat the Russians on the world stage in a time where it was needed most.
Next, my Mind:
Prolific director Edward Zwick, the man behind such cinematic gems as “The Last Samurai”, “Defiance”, and “Blood Diamond”, once again delivers with a tightly acted, intensely executed, character-driven independent film effort that brings out a side of Fischer many who are only mildly familiar with him might have not been aware of until now. Beautifully filmed to bring out the eras in which the story unfolds and to highlight in itself the tones of those Cold War propaganda and political face-saving times, it is deep drama to the core and very much a study of, as the opening remarks indicated, the almost synchronistic relationship between brilliance and madness. This shows Fischer as master of both traits.
This was arguably one of the best full on performances this reviewer has seen Tobey Maguire pull off. As this character, he brings out both the subtleties of Fischer’s internal conflicts in moments of quiet reflection or deep thought about chess moves and then turns around and explodes full force when Fischer is pushed beyond his limits of mental stability and loose grasp on what is real and not real around him. Sarsgaard, Stuhlbarg, and Rabe all shine respectively as well, portraying the frustrated state of the people in Fischer’s life who accompanied him on his journey, trying to keep him calm, focused, and in tune with the magnitude of what the Icelandic-set match with Spassky represented to the United States.
In summary, “Pawn Sacrifice” fires on all its Cold War cylinders, with story and characters winning, and spotlights another key moment in American history that also stands as the precursor to another incredible American political and social victory to come 8 years later at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
