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Dangerous Moves Photos

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Movie Info

Aging Soviet chess champion Akiva Liebskind (Michel Piccoli) arrives in Geneva to face off against his former student Pavius Fromm (Alexandre Arbatt) in a World Championship match. Pavius is a defector from the USSR, and the Soviet authorities threaten to harm Akiva's family if he does not defeat the rogue player. Determined to shame Pavius, the government brings the wife (Liv Ullmann) he left behind to the game, attempting to unnerve him as the stress of the match takes its toll on both men.

Genre:

mystery and thriller
Original Language:

French (France)
Director:

Richard Dembo
Producer:

Arthur Cohn
Release Date (Streaming):

Aug 9, 2005
Runtime:

1h 40m

Cast & Crew

Michel Piccoli
Akiva Liebskind

Alexandre Arbatt
Pavius Fromm

Leslie Caron
Henia Liebskind

Liv Ullmann
Marina Fromm

Daniel Olbrychski
Tac-Tac

Michel Aumont
Stepan Ivanovitch Kerossian

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Dangerous Moves

All Critics (6) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (2)

A competent though tepid character drama.

April 14, 2020 | Full Review…

Geoff Brown
Times (UK)
This well executed thriller about a chess game between a Soviet citizen and a Soviet exile won the 1984 foreign lingo Oscar

January 2, 2011 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
An engrossing Swiss film that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the cerebral sport of chess.

August 22, 2004 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality & Practice
This movie has dated considerably and can best be called a cold war relic. Still, I did find it intriguing and an interesting premise.

March 2, 2004 | Rating: 73/100 | Full Review…

Jamie Gillies
Apollo Guide
a relatively charming endgame doesn't save Dangerous Moves from its ordinary opening and unimaginative middle game performances.

June 22, 2003 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…

John A. Nesbit
ToxicUniverse.com
a metaphor for not just east vs. west, but life vs. life.

June 19, 2003 | Rating: 4/5

Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

View All Critic Reviews (6)

Audience Reviews for Dangerous Moves

Jul 22, 2014

A Soviet exile and a Soviet citizen are pitted in a high-pressure chess match. While some of the events, like the witch doctor in the audience, are funny and interesting, as a whole, this film is about as exciting and entertaining as you'd think a film about chess would be. What the film fails to do is get into the heads of these players to the point that their machinations raise to the level of compelling drama. Overall, I balk at calling a film boring, but honesty compels me to say that Dangerous Moves is kinda boring.

Jim H Super Reviewer
May 31, 2013

Taut, well acted Cold War type political thriller in which the battlefield is the world championship chess match between a Soviet and a Soviet defector. Won the Best Foreign Language Oscar. Excellent movie.

Morris N Super Reviewer