“Pawn Sacrifice” is a movie which explores the chess career of Bobby Fischer, played by Tobey Maguire, whose goal is to rise to the level of grandmaster. The film is set during the Cold War, as tensions are high between the United States and the Soviet Union.
In addition to chess, the movie also skillfully examines the effects of mental illness and celebrity culture.
Growing up in Brooklyn during the 1950’s chess is all that Fischer could think of. He even says during an interview as an adolescent that he next wants to take on the Russians.
Once he became an adult, though, is when things began to start going downhill for Fischer with his mental state. A lawyer named Paul Marshall, played by Michael Stuhlbarg, and a priest named William Lombardy, played by Peter Sarsgaard, assists Fischer in his goal to get to the top. Lombardy was once himself a grandmaster and acts in a way as Fischer’s coach, while Marshall tries to secure financing and bookings for Fischer and get him into tournaments.
These two men sense a deterioration in Fischer and try to make sure he stays focused on chess and does not get sidetracked. Marshall even seeks out Fischer’s sister Joan for help in dealing with his increasingly erratic behavior. Before every match, Fischer specifies conditions that have to be met, otherwise he will not participate.
His paranoia reaches such a level that he believes the Russians are out to get him (listening in on him through the phone and trying to reach him through the TV) and he even begins to turn on Jewish people, even though he himself is Jewish.
As his fame grew, kids wanted to be like Fischer – newscasters called it Fischer mania. Fame, though, is something that Fischer grew uncomfortable with. At one point in the movie, we see him with a paper bag over his head, as he is trying to get away from the press.
Maguire excels at playing a troubled genius (worthy of an Oscar nomination, with all the depth brought to the role), while Liev Schreiber gives a solid performance as Boris Spassky, who is a highly regarded chess opponent. Also, Stuhlbarg and Sarsgaard give good performances as Fischer’s support team.
The one complaint I had is that Maguire seemed too old to be playing someone in their 20’s.
There are parallels between Fischer and John Nash, a mathematician, who was one of the most brilliant minds of his generation. Both men were intellectually off-the-charts and excelled greatly in their respective fields. However, their downfall was in their deeply troubled mental state, filled with conspiracies and delusions.
We also see similarities with the Bobby Fischer story and the Miracle on Ice United States men’s hockey team from the 1980 Winter Olympics. The U.S. hockey team, big underdogs at the time, went on to defeat the heavily favored Soviet Union national team, which had won the gold medal in six of the seven previous Olympic Games. This was a triumphant story like the Fischer one. While it is true that Fischer was not a big underdog, his becoming grandmaster and the U.S. hockey team’s victories were significant in that they came against our hated rivals at the time – Russia. This enabled the U.S. to gain bragging rights in competition traditionally dominated by the Russians.
“Pawn Sacrifice” is sure to fascinate those who see it. Getting a glimpse into Fischer’s mind is a journey worth taking.
