HOLLYWOOD — A little biopic on American chess phenomenon Bobby Fischer is currently sneaking into select theaters around the country.

Starring Tobey Maguire as Fischer and Liev Schreiber as Russian World Chess Champion Boris Spassky, "Pawn Sacrifice" explores the events leading up to and surrounding their famous battle during the 1972 World Chess Championship.

Your question, as a moviegoer is, "Can a chess movie hold my interest for 114 minutes?" And the answer, as is often the case when it comes to entertainment, is: it depends on a few items.

Let's break the said items down into convenient talking points:

Are you a chess fan?

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I'm a bit reluctant to start with this question because the entire "Pawn" experience does not boil down to your personal preferences concerning a checkered board and some well-designed game pieces. It's a factor, but it's not a definitive one.

To help aid its non chess-loving viewers, the film employs a character mostly unfamiliar with the game and pairs him with a chess-savvy priest. Together, they ask all the right questions while chatting through simplified answers when the plot requires a beginner's explanation. On that level, the movie is very approachable.

The movie also enjoys larger political, psychological and social themes that offer plenty to think about if you're not finding the story's frequent chess matches especially engaging.

But at the end of the day, this is a chess movie. Those fascinated with Fischer and who have a regular chess move waiting for them online will get lost in the madness of it all. Fischer's unraveling mind and rise to rock star status is a natural premise for compelling drama.

But if you think chess club is for nerds, and you mean nerds in a demeaning way — as if that's even possible — the time spent on the subject and its very patient gameplay will probably get the better of your viewing enjoyment.

The antihero

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Calling Fischer an antihero in this movie might be giving him too much credit. Some viewers might even see him as the villain, and there's plenty of room to make that argument. This is not the "Rocky IV" of chess movies.

As a moviegoer how often do stories with antiheroes work for you? You should take that into consideration when deciding on "Pawn Sacrifice."

Screenwriter Steven Knight does occasionally find ways to show the difficult and egocentric Fischer through a sympathetic lens, especially when giving glimpses into his family life. However, the overall "Pawn" experience is viewed from those trying to manage the chess genius, and by most accounts, that was a very difficult task to navigate.

The performances

Maguire and Schreiber will get a lot of credit for the success of this movie, and rightfully so. However, supporting players Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg and Lilly Rabe are tasked with making this a story to care about in the face of some very difficult leading personalities.

The acting isn't demanding or flashy enough to call this a must-see performance piece, but the onscreen talent is a welcome supplement to a rich and layered narrative.

Conclusion

"Pawn Sacrifice" should be an attractive title to any fan of either Fischer or the game of chess. Director Edward Zwick deserves credit for balancing what could've played out as a generic, underdog sports movie with weightier issues like mental illness and political ethics. On a personal level, I still don't know if the world's access to something as beautiful as "Game 6" was worth the physical decline of its most important player. And, to lingering questions like that, I tip my hat to the film's creative team.

Still, there are plenty of generic, hackneyed moments toward the beginning that hurt the film's momentum and nonchess fans may find the experience too slow overall to be worth while.

If performances and compelling themes are what speak to you however, I would suggest seeking out "Pawn Sacrifice."

Travis Poppleton has been covering movie news, film reviews and live events for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010 and co-hosts the FlixJunkies podcast. You can contact him at tspoppleton@gmail.com.

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