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Dangerous Moves

Play trailer Poster for Dangerous Moves 1985 1h 40m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
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.
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Dangerous Moves

Critics Reviews

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Geoff Brown The Times (UK) 04/14/2020
A competent though tepid character drama. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 01/02/2011
B+
This well executed thriller about a chess game between a Soviet citizen and a Soviet exile won the 1984 foreign lingo Oscar Go to Full Review Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 08/22/2004
4/5
An engrossing Swiss film that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the cerebral sport of chess. Go to Full Review Jamie Gillies Apollo Guide 03/02/2004
73/100
This movie has dated considerably and can best be called a cold war relic. Still, I did find it intriguing and an interesting premise. Go to Full Review John A. Nesbit ToxicUniverse.com 06/22/2003
2.5/5
a relatively charming endgame doesn't save Dangerous Moves from its ordinary opening and unimaginative middle game performances. Go to Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com 06/19/2003
4/5
a metaphor for not just east vs. west, but life vs. life. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Dangerous Moves

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Cast & Crew

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Richard Dembo

Director

Michel Piccoli

Akiva Liebskind

Alexandre Arbatt

Pavius Fromm

Leslie Caron

Henia Liebskind

Liv Ullmann

Marina Fromm

Daniel Olbrychski

Tac-Tac

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Dangerous Moves

Dangerous Moves (1985) Dangerous Moves (1985) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis 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.
Director
Richard Dembo
Producer
Arthur Cohn, Martine Marignac
Screenwriter
Richard Dembo
Distributor
International Spectrafilm
Production Co
Ministère de la Culture, La Cécilia, Michael Arthur Films
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
May 24, 1985, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Aug 9, 2005
Runtime
1h 40m
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