The Tournament (2015) User Reviews

5 stars only for Lou de Laage

[septimus_millenicom · 5/10 · 14 January 2024]

I watched this only for the staggeringly brilliant Lou de Laage, who is good here but has been much better elsewhere. She is the girlfriend and another chess-player in the tournament. Her arc is intriguing, and echoes what I read about female chess players and the sexism they face in Harper's magazine.

I wish I could have found the protagonist compelling. This is another arrogant jerk/chess "genius" you see so much of in movies. It doesn't help that I don't play chess. The directing is also lackluster and chaotic -- generic Hollywood thriller style, if you like, with too much unnecessary camera motion, and the murky lighting obscures the story. Although the locations certainly help! The director Namer has not directed another film since, but remains a prolific writer. She wrote the screenplay for _Lost Patient_, which I have seen; it isn't much better than _The Tournament_.

A good chess movie, and not just about chess

[achmoye · 7/10 · 18 October 2017]

I recently started to play chess again, so I might be subjective,

But I really liked this movie, it's about a French prodigy who can hope to become a champion, but he struggles with his relationships, he's pretty arrogant, and his ego suffers when he meets a child chess prodigy in a tournament.

The representation of chess is elegant and convincing, it describes well the pressure and concentration this game requires, but it doesn't really reinvent the wheel.

What is great is the chess games compositors ; they actually composed games for the purpose of this movie, to show interesting moves and tension. The dialogues about the chess world and vocabulary are very convincing. The main char' just learned chess for one year for this movie, but he sounds like he played for his whole life.

What is interesting though, is the message about feminism and the place of women in chess, and the social construction that undermines women overall. That was on the spot and nicely added to the plot.

The characters have presence and are interesting.

Awkward moment : They play strip tag with their crushes, and then, when everyone is naked, they decide to do some blackjack and go to sleep. Like hell you do XD

Look out for this writer/director for years to come.

[leonard-122-377480 · 10/10 · 25 April 2015]

Briefly, It's FANTASTIC. This year's Blue is the Warmest Color...because it's so brilliantly shot. and directed. The performances are organic and riveting. The musical choices are breathtaking. Not a dull, uninteresting or dishonest moment. Whether you play Chess or not, this film will mesmerize and dazzle you with intelligence and the exuberance of youth and genius. The location filming in Budapest gives it the feel of a time gone by, while simultaneously putting us in the hopeful present. Notice the one unintentional nod to "The Hustler". George C. Scott and Paul Newman would be proud. Look out for this writer/director for years to come.

seductive

[Kirpianuscus · 13 May 2016]

a film who seems have all the virtues. passion, challenge, love, vulnerabilities of lead character, right music,inspired landscape, complex story, good actors and a special subject. Michelangelo Passaniti seems be the perfect choice for be Cal Fournier. maybe because Le Tournois is a kind of version for Le Grand Meaulnes. it could be better and that is obvious. in many scenes the story becomes fake and it is not real surprising. but it preserves the flavor of contemporary French cinema. with its sins including. and becomes, step by step, more than a film about a competition, a film about truth. the truth about yourself, at the end of an age. the truth about others. and, sure, about the life. all presented in decent manner.the fragility of illusions, the need to become yourself, the humor and, sure, Budapest are the spices who defines a film remarkable for its grace.