Pawn Sacrifice

Translated from swedish: Tobey Maguire is intense, arrogant, paranoid and unbearable in his role as the chess genius.
- Jan Lumholdt

Swedish: svd.se »

Translated from swedish: You don't need to be interested in chess at all to appreciate this film – it has so much more to offer. Besides, even the chess game itself becomes fascinating, even for someone like me who has never played a single game of chess in my entire life. There's something about these geniuses, who almost seem to have been given a different kind of brain than us ordinary mortals, that is so captivating. More often than not, they've had to pay a price for it at the same time, which is also the main theme.
- Mira Klingberg Hjort

Swedish: arbetet.se »

Translated from swedish: The 1960s and 70s settings are convincing, the pace is brisk. PAWN SACRIFICE turns out to be surprisingly engaging. I wouldn't be surprised if this film gets Oscar nominations and even takes home a few statuettes.
- Pidde Andersson

Swedish: toppraffel.se »

Translated from swedish: "Pawn Sacrifice" is a decent film of its kind (it's a movie about a chess player that actually contains chess playing!) and toward the end, in the paranoid back-and-forth game against Spassky, it even gets a bit nerve-wracking.
- Fredrik Fyhr

Swedish: fredrikfyhr.se »

Translated from swedish: Ultimately, something more creative should have been done with Fischer's madness, something that would have made up for Sarsgaard's line about chess being like a rabbit hole – an endless series of possible outcomes that often drives the game's masters to that very madness. Imagine if someone like Charlie Kaufman had instead taken on the task of inviting the audience into Fischer's mind. As it stands, that rabbit hole is never explored. Instead, the chess playing is portrayed as if it were any other sport, in any other sports movie.
- Calle Wahlström

Swedish: ng.se »

Translated from swedish: No matter how bombastic the music they blast or how slick the editing is, you want to get to know Fischer and understand his destructive behavior, but it mostly becomes Oscar-baiting posturing. If you're a chess fanatic, it might be somewhat interesting from a historical perspective, but then you really should – just like everyone else – watch the clearly superior documentary instead.
- Andreas Samuelson

Swedish: moviezine.se »

Translated from swedish: "Pawn Sacrifice" is generally well-made and well-acted by Peter Sarsgaard and Liev Schreiber, but also a bit dull. In Iceland, Zwick finally picks up the film's pace. However, unless you're extremely interested in chess, it's not always easy to understand what the audience is applauding for.
- Mats Johnson

Swedish: gp.se »

Translated from swedish: Tobey Maguire delivers a wildly over-the-top performance as Fischer, the rockstar chess pro - a portrayal that occasionally goes off the rails but still manages to be a saving grace in an otherwise colorless cast. Director Edward Zwick captures the paranoid zeitgeist without much artistic effort.
- Kristoffer Viita

Swedish: svt.se »

Translated from swedish: Tobey Maguire, who also serves as producer, along with the film's director Edward Zwick, has created more of a hasty bathroom sketch than a careful portrait of Bobby Fischer and his role in the war. One question after another is dodged here, and the written information provided at the end of the film is clearly too selective. What a shame, this should have been much better.
- Eric Diedrichs

Swedish: filmtopp.se »