If you loved Netflix’s chess-oriented smash hit The Queen’s Gambit, the streaming service is introducing a biopic about the game’s most revered — as well as most polarizing — player.
Pawn Sacrifice, the 2014 Bobby Fischer biopic, stars Tobey Maguire in his last live-action lead role from the now-elusive movie star. Fischer beat the Soviet stranglehold on chess after becoming a grandmaster at the age of 15 in 1958, and also achieved the only 11–0 sweep in U.S. Championship history.
Outside of his undeniable skill, the American player was equally renowned for his divisive behavior and bigotry, including his refusal to defend his title in the 1975 World Chess Championship, antisemitism, holocaust denial, disappearance from the public eye for two decades, and celebration of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
“In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire,” the official synopsis for Pawn Sacrifice, set to land on Netflix on October 30, states. “Pawn Sacrifice chronicles Fischer’s terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.”
Liev Schreiber (Scream, Asteroid City), Lily Rabe (American Horror Story, The First Lady), Peter Sarsgaard (The Batman, Boys Don’t Cry), Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets, Heated Rivalry), and Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name, The Shape of Water), star alongside Maguire in this indie biopic, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and grossed $5 million during its box office run.
Pawn Sacrifice received mostly positive reviews from critics, with Maguire’s leading performance in the biopic being hailed as a career best. With the movie’s arrival on Netflix later this month, the beloved actor’s performance will be introduced to a whole new audience beyond its limited release 12 years ago.
Pawn Sacrifice arrives on Netflix U.S. on October 30. International territories may vary.
