{"id":11041,"date":"2015-12-19T11:23:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-19T19:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=11041"},"modified":"2015-12-19T11:24:09","modified_gmt":"2015-12-19T19:24:09","slug":"review-pawnsacrifice-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2015\/12\/review-pawnsacrifice-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Pawn Sacrifice BD + Screen Caps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Pawn Sacrifice<\/em><\/strong> isn\u2019t one of Zwick\u2019s best movies, which for me is still The Last Samurai<\/em>, but it\u2019s still an adequate drama with strong performances by Tobey Maguire and Michael Stuhlbarg, the latter of whom deserves some award recognition. The Blu-ray release offers good video and audio transfers but falls far short in the bonus material department.<\/p>\n

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Pawn Sacrifice<\/span>
\n(2015)<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nREVIEW NAVIGATION<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe Movie<\/a> | Special Features<\/a> | Video Quality<\/a> | Audio Quality<\/a> | Overall<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Genre(s): <\/strong>Drama
\nUniversal | PG13 \u2013 116 min. \u2013 $34.98 | December 22, 2015<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/u>MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u>Directed by: <\/strong>Edward Zwick
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Stephen J. Rivele & Christopher Wilkinson and Steven Knight (story), Steven Knight (screenplay)
\nCast: <\/strong>Tobey Maguire, Peter Sarsgaard, Liev Schreiber, Michael Stuhlbarg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/u>DISC INFO:
\n<\/u>Features: <\/strong>Featurette
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio: <\/strong>English (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 2.40
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, Spanish
\nDisc Size: <\/strong>32.9 GB
\nCodec: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\n** Click Here to Purchase Pawn Sacrifice<\/em> on Blu-ray from Amazon.com<\/a><\/strong> **<\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE<\/strong> \u2013 3.0\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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\u201cBillion people around the world watching two guys play chess… World War III on a chess board.\u201d<\/p>\n

The story of Bobby Fischer is nothing new with his story being told in the 2011 documentary, Bobby Fischer Against the World<\/em> and now with Pawn Sacrifice<\/em><\/strong>, the film attempts to break down the man psychologically, an interesting view of his mental illness and paranoia which is the focal point with the chess matches, at least through the first 2\/3rds, taking a backseat.<\/p>\n

The film follows a young Bobby Fischer from his early childhood as he discovers his passion for the game of chess, learning from a chess master and through his teen years beating everybody in his path, eventually becoming the youngest grandmaster at only the age of 15.<\/p>\n

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In his early adulthood, Bobby (TOBEY MAGUIRE), with the prodding of the U.S. government eager for a PR win against Russia in its Cold War battle after suffering losses with China and Vietnam, wants to become the greatest chess player in the world ultimately to face off against Soviet Boris Spassky (LIVE SCHREIBER), the World Chess Champion. Helping Bobby on his journey, a world-wind tour of tournaments, is sports agent Paul Marshall (MICHAEL STUHLBARG) and Father Bill Lombardy (PETER SARSGAARD) serving as Fischer\u2019s chess coach and confidant.<\/p>\n

With the stakes high, and Fischer\u2019s behavior, not to mention demands, especially bizarre, his first match with Spassky in California, done off-screen, is a loss making Fischer ever more obsessed and a mental wreck for which Marshall and Lombardy attempt to coral and contain in spite of concerns by Fischer\u2019s sister (LILY RABE).<\/p>\n

Pawn Sacrifice<\/em><\/strong> is much more of a character study but it does manage, under the direction of Edward Zwick, give some suspense to the game of chess even though, if you\u2019re a student of history (mainly US\/Russian relations), know the outcome. The movie also is a great vehicle for Tobey Maguire who also served as a producer, reminding you he does have depth as an actor as he has a few great scenes that isn\u2019t over-the-top and gives respect to the challenges of the character, primarily his paranoia.<\/p>\n

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There is one other standout and it isn\u2019t Peter Sarsgaard or Liev Schreiber, neither of whom aren\u2019t bad but their characters only gets a couple key scenes. Instead Michael Stuhlbarg (\u201cBoardwalk Empire\u201d) as Fischer\u2019s agent\/manager: Stuhlbarg has a few great scenes with Maguire and I\u2019d argue was deserving of a supporting actor recognition, however at this stage isn\u2019t going to happen. He plays the role even handedly both as a concerned party seeing the unraveling of Fischer into madness to an unscrupulous manipulator more concerned for patriotism than Fischer\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

However, for all that\u2019s good about Pawn Sacrifice<\/em><\/strong> from the performances to the production and costume designs which were impressive, it did lack a certain emotion or soul. Never was there a point when I was fully engrossed with the story, or characters for that matter, and was admiring different elements but not the movie as a whole. Even the chess match in the third act, as well shot as a chess match can be, wasn\u2019t wholly satisfying nor as the fate of Fischer whose life story is indeed tragic both with how he was treated but the decline of his mental facilities in spite of being a chess master, though some might argue he couldn\u2019t have one without the other.<\/p>\n

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In the end, Pawn Sacrifice<\/em><\/strong> may not be the most memorable drama to come around but the performances are strong and the technical aspects like the production design was impressive enough to at least make this a worthwhile rental.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 1.0\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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This release comes with a matted slip cover<\/strong>. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD<\/u><\/strong> copy.<\/p>\n

Bobby Fischer, the Cold War and the Match of the Century (3:17; HD)<\/u><\/strong> is a sadly short, promotional featurette with some canned interview sound-bites.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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VIDEO \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Pawn Sacrifice<\/em><\/strong> makes a double attack upon Blu-ray presented with a 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture quality certainly goes onto the warmer side of the spectrum yet detail looks good and there\u2019s a certain natural film grain or noise which isn\u2019t overabundant or obtrusive. There were no apparent artifacts or aliasing making for a fine looking transfer.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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AUDIO \u2013 4.0\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

The movie comes with a standard but efficient DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Considering this is a straight-up drama, with a couple tense moments during Fischer\u2019s bouts of paranoia, the audio is limited. Dialogue levels do sound crisp and clear throughout and James Newton Howard\u2019s score, not to mention some choice music of the 1950s and 60s, make good use of the front and rear channels.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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OVERALL \u2013 3.0\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Overall, Pawn Sacrifice<\/em><\/strong> isn\u2019t one of Zwick\u2019s best movies, which for me is still The Last Samurai<\/em>, but it\u2019s still an adequate drama with strong performances by Tobey Maguire and Michael Stuhlbarg, the latter of whom deserves some award recognition. The Blu-ray release offers good video and audio transfers but falls far short in the bonus material department.<\/p>\n

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Brian Oliver a.k.a. The Movieman
\n<\/em>Published: <\/strong>12\/19\/2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers<\/strong>.
\nThese are only here to give an idea of the movie\u2019s video quality and may not be truly representative of it.<\/p>\n