Gripping psychological thriller
Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 08/15/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Set in Geneva at the World Chess Championships, the Soviet world champ vs. the free west challenger. What the two opponents imagine and hope to be a personal grudge match turns out to be a politically maneuvered competition. The KGB will go to any extreme to see its player win, but it can't do anything about his ill health (though it tries), and the challenger is awarded the prize when the Russian has to withdraw. A taut, psychological thriller made even more bitter by the fact that no matter how competetive the two players are (VERY competetive) they are mere pawns of political maneuverings. Won an Oscar for best foreign film (Swiss). Worth a watch."
SMART COLD WAR SPY GAMES
Robin Simmons | Palm Springs area, CA United States | 07/28/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The full metaphorical symbolism of an international chess tournament played against cold war intrigue is perfectly realized in DANGEROUS MOVES (Home Vision Entertainment). Winner of 1985's Best Foreign Film Oscar©, the authentic tension in this nifty, nuanced thriller builds to a unexpected and satisfying climax. The less said here the better. The cast includes Liv Ullmann, Leslie Caron and Michel Piccoli. Extras include a conversation with producer Arthur Cohn. Recommended."
Gosh i miss cold war movies; arabs are so boring ...
Jonathan Lapin | Brooklyn, NY USA | 08/03/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"a taut cold war test of wills centered around a world championship chess match between an apolitical soviet grand master and his mentally unbalanced onetime student who has now defected to the west. as fascinating as a movie about chess can be.
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4 stars if you like chess and 2.5 if you don't...
Nothing new | United States | 11/24/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The only reason I like this movie a lot is b/c I love chess. If I didn't, then I would have been thoroughly bored. If you want to know about the movie, just read the synopsis at the top of this page! A 2.5 warrants a..."I'm making a big mistake on renting this, but heh, I'm desperate" type of scenario. If you are a chess fan, you will notice that at one point in the movie, Fromm (the chess challenger) finds a great line to play against the champion while he is analyzing chess positions in the swimming pool. The only problem is if you look closely, he actually has the board sideways, meaning he has the dark square in the bottom-right corner rather than the white making all his "great lines" not so great!"