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Pawn Sacrifice

  • 2014
  • PG-13
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
47K
YOUR RATING
Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
American chess champion Bobby Fischer prepares for a legendary match-up against Russian Boris Spassky.
Play trailer2:32
13 Videos
98 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory

Set during the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers and his own struggles as he challenges the Soviet Empire.Set during the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers and his own struggles as he challenges the Soviet Empire.Set during the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers and his own struggles as he challenges the Soviet Empire.

  • Director
    • Edward Zwick
  • Writers
    • Steven Knight
    • Stephen J. Rivele
    • Christopher Wilkinson
  • Stars
    • Tobey Maguire
    • Liev Schreiber
    • Peter Sarsgaard
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    47K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Edward Zwick
    • Writers
      • Steven Knight
      • Stephen J. Rivele
      • Christopher Wilkinson
    • Stars
      • Tobey Maguire
      • Liev Schreiber
      • Peter Sarsgaard
    • 144User reviews
    • 160Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos13

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:32
    Watch Official Trailer
    People Get Worried
    Clip 1:11
    Watch People Get Worried
    Bobby Has Problems
    Clip 1:13
    Watch Bobby Has Problems
    Hopelessly Patriotic
    Clip 1:17
    Watch Hopelessly Patriotic
    Pawn Sacrifice: I Have Him
    Clip 1:29
    Watch Pawn Sacrifice: I Have Him
    Pawn Sacrifice: People Get Worried
    Clip 1:10
    Watch Pawn Sacrifice: People Get Worried
    Pawn Sacrifice: Bobby Has Problems
    Clip 1:12
    Watch Pawn Sacrifice: Bobby Has Problems
    Pawn Sacrifice: Hopelessly Patriotic
    Clip 1:16
    Watch Pawn Sacrifice: Hopelessly Patriotic
    Pawn Sacrifice: Genius (Featurette)
    Featurette 3:26
    Watch Pawn Sacrifice: Genius (Featurette)
    Tobey Mc Guire
    Interview 6:08
    Watch Tobey Mc Guire
    Edward Zwick
    Interview 5:13
    Watch Edward Zwick
    Michael Stuhlbarg
    Interview 4:06
    Watch Michael Stuhlbarg

    Photos98

    Bradford Young in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Bradford Young in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Liev Schreiber and Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Liev Schreiber and Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Edward Zwick in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
    Peter Sarsgaard in Pawn Sacrifice (2014)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tobey Maguire
    Tobey Maguire
    • Bobby Fischer
    Liev Schreiber
    Liev Schreiber
    • Boris Spassky
    Peter Sarsgaard
    Peter Sarsgaard
    • Father Bill Lombardy
    Michael Stuhlbarg
    Michael Stuhlbarg
    • Paul Marshall
    Edward Zinoviev
    • Efim Geller
    Alexandre Gorchkov
    • Iivo Nei
    Lily Rabe
    Lily Rabe
    • Joan Fischer
    Robin Weigert
    Robin Weigert
    • Regina Fischer
    Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
    Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
    • Teenage Bobby Fischer
    Aiden Lovekamp
    Aiden Lovekamp
    • Young Bobby Fischer
    Sophie Nélisse
    Sophie Nélisse
    • Young Joan Fischer
    Evelyne Brochu
    Evelyne Brochu
    • Donna
    Conrad Pla
    Conrad Pla
    • Carmine Nigro
    Vitali Makarov
    Vitali Makarov
    • Ivanovich
    Brett Watson
    Brett Watson
    • Lothar Schmid
    Igor Ovadis
    Igor Ovadis
    • Russian Bookstore Owner
    Bobo Vian
    • Bookstore Owner's Wife
    Shawn Campbell
    Shawn Campbell
    • Cyril
    • (as Shawn Cambell)
    • Director
      • Edward Zwick
    • Writers
      • Steven Knight
      • Stephen J. Rivele
      • Christopher Wilkinson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bobby Fischer was wanted in the United States of America for violating economic sanctions against the former Yugoslavia by playing a chess match there in 1992. He fled to Japan and was arrested in July 2004 for trying to leave Japan on a revoked U.S. passport. Thus, he was detained in Japan awaiting deportation to the USA. He renounced his U.S. citizenship and tried to become a German citizen, but was denied. Finally, in March 2005, Iceland's parliament voted to grant him Icelandic citizenship. He remained a fugitive from the USA until his death.
    • Goofs
      When Fischer first meets Boris Spassky in Santa Monica in 1966 Boris is introduced as the World Champion. Boris was not yet the World Champion. Tigran Petrosian was the World Chess Champion at that time.
    • Quotes

      Paul Marshall: I think he's afraid of what's gonna happen if he loses.

      Father Bill Lombardy: No, he's afraid of what's gonna happen if he wins.

    • Crazy credits
      In the closing credits, the name of the character Cyril (played by Shawn Campbell) is misspelled "Cryil."
    • Connections
      Featured in Bobby Fischer, the Cold War and the Match of the Century (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      Along Came Betty
      Written by Benny Golson

      Performed by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers

      Courtesy of Concord Music Group, Inc.

      By Arrangement with Time Step Music

    User reviews144

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    One of the surprise movies of the year that deserves a bigger audience than it will get. I really enjoyed this & recommend it
    "Bobby won't crack, he will explode." Ever since he was a young boy Bobby Fischer (Maguire) has been obsessed with chess. His dream of becoming the youngest world champion ever has been crushed by the Russian's way of playing and he slowly starts to lose his mind. Wanting to prove to everyone, and himself that is is the best in the world he sets up a series of matches with Boris Spassky (Schreiber), the best player in the world. As the match draws closer Fischer begins to descend further into madness and it starts to affect his ability to play. I knew very little about the real story of Bobby Fischer before watching this so most of this was new to me. For a movie about chess I have to say the movie was actually pretty exciting to watch, and Maguire really surprised me with his acting. I'm not sure how historically accurate this is but watching it the tenseness was there and you really felt uncomfortable for and with Bobby. One of the surprise movies of the year that deserves a bigger audience than it will get. I really enjoyed this and recommend it. Overall, great acting and great drama. More movies like this should be made. I give it an A-.
    helpful•54
    8
    • cosmo_tiger
    • Dec 23, 2015

    Top picks

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    FAQ2

    • With the events of that tournament being as well documented as they are, why are there so many factual errors/mistakes in this film?
    • What does Boris Spassky say to Bobby Fischer during the first match and why?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 25, 2015 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Piyodani qurbon qilib
    • Filming locations
      • Reykjavík, Iceland
    • Production companies
      • Gail Katz Productions
      • MICA Entertainment
      • Material Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $19,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,436,633
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $202,053
      • Sep 20, 2015
    • Gross worldwide
      • $5,578,519
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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