Lack of good storyline.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

For those who do not play chess or know anything about it, the game is something that is commonly referenced in books, poetry, movies, etc. It is seen as somewhat of a metaphor for happenings in real life. For those who play chess and are in love with the game, it is something of an art or science, or something cosmic that is unexplainable. They may often be frustrated as to why the majority of society does not share their passion.Chess has survived for thousands of years and is arguably the hardest game in the world. Through the eons, if there is one name or one master that has towered above anyone else, it is the American Bobby Fischer. When Fischer defeated Boris Spassky in 1972, the match created more publicity than any other chess event in history (even more than when IBM's computer Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in 1996). A lone American had defeated the mighty Soviet chess machine during the cold war. What should have been just the beginning of an already great career for Fischer, it was actually just the end.Bobby Fischer made one of the great disappearances of any famous person of the 20th century. He did not die, but was as elusive as Bigfoot after he won the world championship. For those who encountered him only would end of becoming frustrated because they realized he was slowly going insane. 20 years after winning the Championship (1992), Fischer reappeared to play Spassky for another match. When he appeared, it became even more obvious that the man had lost his mind. When the September 11th attacks happened, Fischer shocked the world when he applauded the acts on a radio program. He never played again and passed away in 2008.This HBO program is fantastic in that it is presented in a manner that is suitable for those who barely know anything about chess or those who know the intricate details of Fischer's career and life. It keeps the viewers' attention by playing nice music in the background throughout. The program shows numerous photographs and television footage that most people have never seen. The central focus of the program is the Fischer - Spassky match of 1972, but it juxtaposes all kind of other topics such as Fischer's family and love life, and his affiliation with a cult group. The program even has Henry Kissinger talking about the match. Kissinger had encouraged Fischer to follow through with the match when Fischer was about to not show up. But, the program does not blame Fischer's religious obsession with chess for this mental breakdown. It posits that it could have been a possibility.I will have to strongly disagree with one part of this documentary. It stated that when after Fischer won the world championship, he was arguably the most famous man in the world (aside from Jesus). I find this really hard to believe. One because Fischer was a merely just a chess champion and (2) there were many other gigantic figures at that time; Muhammad Ali, Richard Nixon, Chairman Mao, just to name a few.In the end, the enigma will always remain the enigma. Nobody really knows why Fischer quit playing after 1972 or what caused his mental disintegration. Even though he forfeited his title to Karpov in 1975, why did he completely give up playing even tournaments and simuls altogether? What we are left is speculation. Many chess lovers will proudly proclaim that Fischer was the best player of all time. There maybe some truth to this, but I believe Garry Kasparov finally deserves this title. This is because Kasparov was willing to take on all comers, human beings or computers. Kasparov did this for almost 3 decades. Kasparov defeated an ongoing Champion Anatoly Karpov (one of the top 5 players ever) 5 times and he continued to defend this title beating brilliant and talented young players - Ivanchuck, Shirov, Topalov, Anand, Short, Leko, Kramnik, Kamsky, and so many others for another 2 decades.*Please do not comment if you are going to get into a "greatest ever" debate - it will be yet another endless discussion and will lead to nowhere.* Fishcer's story is one of the great tragedies of chess, but in the short time that he was brilliant, he shined so brightly that it continues to illuminate to this day. Although his life ended to a sad decline, keep in mind, we remember and admire him for what he produced.

This documentary follows the life of the chess player, Bobby Fischer. Bobby Fischer went through stress by the media, the fans, and the pressure to play Soviet World Champion Boris Spassky throughout his career. The political climate at the time was strongly looking into the game of chess to show the intelligent might in their nations. The Cold War feel to it put Bobby Fischer in a chilling stubborn mood. He has been known to forfeit when he refused to play the game in a dispute over playing condition, over paid or willing not to play. This match against Boris made him famous. The film gives much information about how the game was play and some history of the sport. There was a great insight into his training. He did a lot of strength training, flexibility and swimming for those events. The movie then shows his descent into monomaniacal. This win caused him to show erratic behavior and paranoia. The United States government made him into a weapon of their own propaganda for jingoism. He was fond to fear mongers messages against Soviets, Jewish and American capitalism. Before any more damaging his reputation; he retreated from public life. He didn't return to the public life until the end of the Cold War. The documentary notes his return to the world of chess might have been cause by a love affair; rather than him being a political activist. Bobby Fischer played chess in Yugoslavia at the time of an intended NATO invasion. Taking the prize money made him an enemy of the state in the United States. He continues to cause stirs with countries that safe harbor him like Iceland and the Philippines. He probably saw the world as a chess game where everybody out to get him. He grew more isolation and self-loathing. What I like about the documentary is to how it's shows both sides of the coin: his faults and highs. While some critics felt it was exploitative. I felt it not to be. One thing about the film is how much it borrows from another documentary film. In many ways, the film fells to give any more new information for the audience, if the viewer seen the other documentary first. Disagree in how Bobby Fischer wasn't able to cope in the spotlight. Fischer always wanted to be the center of media attention. Some of his views are out there. However at times when Fischer speaks, he talked as if he is a very tall man in a crowd. He can see over the others, far ahead into the distance where others only see the crowd. The film also explained that his mind can pretend movements and sets ahead of those of his opposites. There is some truth to his ranting. He did plenty to assassinate his own character by denouncing or disliking anyone who didn't agree with him. The Experts interviews gave the viewer's much information. None of the interviews seemed wasted. It has always great to see the noble game of chess and Bobby Fischer as a topic for a documentary. Very profound the doc is. Incredible use of documentary work and an incredible person Fischer was; who was buried by his own genius and madness.

Was Bobby Fischer the greatest chess player who ever lived? Probably, but as this HBO-produced documentaryreveals there was also a darker side to his genius. Drawing upon a wealth of fascinating archival footage, veteran documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus (Girlhood, The Execution Of Wanda Jean, etc) draws a complex portrait of the man, depicting him as stubborn, arrogant, obsessive and a temperamental but typically flawed genius who crumpled under enormous pressure. The portrait of Fischer is rounded out through a series of extensive and candid interviews with colleagues and those who knew him best. There is even an interview with a sad, pathetic and paranoid Fischer himself, filmed a couple of years before his death. Garbus traces his life from his first public appearances as a self-taught child prodigy, becoming US chess champion at the age of 15 and world champion in 1972, to his lonely death in Iceland in 2008 where the disgraced former champion was living in exile. The film spends a lot of time examining his challenge against Russian world champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, arguably the most famous chess match in history, looking at the psychological ploys Fischer used to rattle his opponent. The film also looks at the impact his victory had for the profile of chess in general, but the far more fascinating context of the Cold War paranoia against which the match was played is skimmed over. Following his victory Fischer's fragile mental state declined and he failed to deal with the public adulation that followed, and Garbus examines his tragic fall. The film unfolds in a somewhat conventional fashion, but it still makes for compelling viewing.

Since this was meant to be a documentary about the life of Bobby Fischer I thought it was pretty interesting. I was introduced into the world of chess as a boy myself and haven't had a lot of time to improve my game being in college. I read Fischer's book on chess and learned how to play pretty well and beat some people that claimed they were good.The life of Bobby Fischer is nonetheless interesting yet sad because of the publicity he received in his life, in a way the thing he most cherished destroyed him, because once he reached the peak of his career, winning the world title, there wasn't really a peak above that. I thought it was pretty good though I'd recommend this movie to someone interested in chess at all will know the name Fischer.