Customer Reviews

Dangerous Moves

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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!

Excellent, very good movie. I liked a lot this film. It is not only for chess fans, can be enjoyed for other people. The movie is well done and reflects the pressure of comunist government over their players.

I had never heard of this film but took a chance on it due to the steller cast. I wasn't sure I'd be interested in a chess match, but I was quickly engaged in it and my attention didn't wander untill the very interesting and satisfying ending.

The main action is the grand champion chess match held in Geneva in 1983, during the Cold War. The contenders are the reigning grand master, a Soviet citizen, played movingly by Michel Piccoli and his upstart challenger, a defector from the Soviet Union, brilliantly played by Alexandre Arbatz. It's a match between two individuals who are caught in the greater political contest of the USSR and the free west.

Behind the scenes there are the dramas of each individual. Fromm, the young defector, is obviously disturbed by the condition of his wife, whom he has apparently left behind, and has become a pawn (no pun intended) in the USSR's revenge against him. This humanizes the somewhat flamboyant Fromm who has appeared cold and arrogant before we understand this situation. His wife is movingly portrayed by Liv Ullman.

Liebskind, the elder player, has his own personal battle, that of his health. His heart is not good but he is determined to do whatever he can to win the match. Leslie Caron doesn't have a lot of lines as his devoted wife but she adds a lot by her graceful quiet presence.

The film is unpretentious but very well done and is well worth watching.

This movie is French-speaking and this should be noted. I hadn't a clue and would not have purchased had I known.