Pawn Sacrifice

Play trailer

2:31

Pawn Sacrifice

PG-13

2015

1h 54m

History

Drama

Biography

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

119 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

American chess legend Bobby Fischer and Soviet Grandmaster Boris Spassky enthrall the world with their intense battle of wills and strategy during the 1972 World Chess Championship.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Anchored by a sensitive performance from Tobey Maguire, Pawn Sacrifice adds another solidly gripping drama to the list of films inspired by chess wiz Bobby Fischer.

Read Critics Reviews

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

05/03/2016

'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.

Go to Full Review

David Sims

The Atlantic

10/14/2015

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.

Go to Full Review

Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

09/25/2015

2.5/4

Fine-looking but safe ...

Go to Full Review

Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

11/22/2022

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

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

05/27/2022

3/4

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.

Go to Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

02/03/2021

3/5

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Bert D

@LordBort92 Feb 1

Another reminder to myself to never start playing chess.

See more

thiago s

@Thiagostone Jan 20

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

See more

Gregory S

@Gregory566 Nov 26

I thought that is was pretty great. Whats truly incredible is that almost everything that happened during the matches actually did happen. The absolute obsession and absurdity of the Cold War is captured beautifully.

See more

Pongo K

@RT48921889 Sep 11

A beautiful movie. It shows how complex chess is, and how important it was during the cold war.

See more

John V

@RT03600135 Sep 10

Maguire reduces Fischer to brooding intensity, overlooking the man's well-documented awkward humor and mercurial charm. Just watch the famous Bob Hope and Dick Cavett interviews to glimpse the real Bobby Fischer.

See more

Thales T

@sirthales 05/16/2025

Uma guerra psicológica!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Edward Zwick

Director

Tobey Maguire

Bobby Fischer

Peter Sarsgaard

William Lombardy

Liev Schreiber

Boris Spassky

Michael Stuhlbarg

Paul Marshall

Lily Rabe

Joan Fischer

Race

64%

77%

Race

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Race

The Founder

80%

82%

The Founder

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Founder

Marshall

80%

84%

Marshall

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Marshall

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

61%

68%

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Watchlist

The Man Who Knew Infinity

62%

71%

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Man Who Knew Infinity

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Parental Guidance: How Family-Friendly Are Daddy’s Home, Concussion, and Joy?

On DVD This Week: Pan, Pawn Sacrifice, and More

The Intern Is Charming But Slight

Pawn Sacrifice: Trailer 1

2:31

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

American chess legend Bobby Fischer and Soviet Grandmaster Boris Spassky enthrall the world with their intense battle of wills and strategy during the 1972 World Chess Championship.

Director: Edward Zwick
Producer: Tobey Maguire, Gail Katz, Edward Zwick
Screenwriter: Steven Knight
Distributor: Bleecker Street Media
Production Co: Material Pictures, Gail Katz
Rating: PG-13 (Historical Smoking|Brief Strong Language|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: History, Drama, Biography, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 16, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.4M
Runtime: 1h 54m