Dangerous Moves (1983)
Director: Richard Dembo
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Set during the World Chess Championship, and focusing on the intense rivalry between ageing, ailing Soviet champion Liebskind (Piccoli) and his former pupil, the unorthodox young rebel Fromm (Arbatt) - himself a Russian defector whom the Soviet authorities wish to humiliate - the film's fascination lies partly in the bizarre, underhanded tactics employed to distract keyed-up competitors, partly in the vivid characterisations. Also of interest, however, is the wider context which reveals the rivals as reluctant pawns in political power struggles. Expertly performed (particularly by Piccoli), and shot through with moments of memorably absurd humour, Dembo's miniature thriller is an unusual delight.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: Richard Dembo
Producer: Arthur Cohn
Cast: Michel Piccoli, Alexandre Arbatt, Liv Ullmann, Leslie Caron, Daniel Olbrychski, Michel Aumont full cast
Duration: 110 mins
Most popular on this site
Features
To the letter
Forty years later, Costa-Gavras's Z still brims with fury.
Mind over matter
David Cronenberg reflects on a most bizarre body: his own corpus of work.
Fool's gold
Can an Oscar win lead to a cursed career? Here are five stories of postaward professional meltdowns.
We are the championed
Terrorists and teens abound in this year's "Film Comment Selects."
A history of violence
Matteo Garrone's kaleidoscopic Gomorrah wallops you with Italy's crime crisis.
True romantic
James Gray exchanges urban amorality for amour in Two Lovers.
Playing in the dark
MoMA salutes pianist Stuart Oderman's 50 years as the one-man sound of silents.
Junk bonds
Cast and crew recall the making of the classic NYC drug drama The Panic in Needle Park.



What do you think?
Post your review now