Pawn Sacrifice

'Pawn Sacrifice' takes all of those tropes and cranks them up to 11, far past the barometers of either believable human behavior or credible filmmaking.

Like all of Zwick's works, it's perfectly watchable fare, but it's often infuriating for its refusal to dig deeper into its incredibly compelling subject.

Fine-looking but safe ...

Archived news reports and a Dick Cavett interview fit seamlessly into the dramatic recreations, as do era-specific rock tunes.

Despite his best emoting, Maguire ultimately comes across as Peter Parker with a mole and a bad haircut.

Genius is fascinating, particularly when it is complicated, as it always seems to be.

The film’s approach lacks bold gambits, but the story is still a rewarding exhibition.

Pawn Sacrifice paints a portrait that shows us how, when true genius of this kind is discovered, it must be supported to its fullest potential, leaving everyone else to follow in awe of its rare whirlwind.

Kicks into gear in its final third as Fischer and Spassky go mano e mano over a chess board as the world watches.

It feels more like a re-creation than an actual film; simple, straightforward, and ultimately unmemorable.