Game Over - Kasparov and the Machine

The Bottom Line

• 'Game Over' is one of the best chess movies we've ever seen. The whole concept works well.
• The story has a good logical flow and the film is worth watching more than once.
• Kasparov is an ideal subject; he is charismatic and engaging; his English is excellent.
• The other interviewees are also knowledgeable, articulate, and interesting.
• Lots of great video clips -- silent movie & historical news footage -- woven together.

• Fact: Kasparov accused IBM of cheating. The film assumes he had valid points and was probably right.
• Lacks objectivity and balance. The good guys are on Kasparov's team; the bad guys are on IBM's team.
• Portrayal of IBM (e.g. security) and Deep Blue (i.e. the Turk) is unnecessarily sinister.
• Some personalities aren't identified. The prime time news footage is not identified.
• Artistic inferences and connections are sometimes overbearing, farfetched, or downright corny.

Description

• Garry Kasparov visits New York, 'scene of the crime', where in 1997 he played Deep Blue and lost.
• The film explains who Kasparov is, how he became World Champ in 1985, and why he played Deep Blue.
• It pursues the idea that, for its own economic advantage, IBM cheated Kasparov during the match.
• This idea recalls the Turk, a chess automaton and magic trick of the 18th & 19th centuries.
• The story is explained using several visual techniques to illustrate its themes:
• - interviews with Kasparov, other match participants, and well known chess personalities;
• - news footage from the time of the match plus videos of the post-game press conferences;
• - clips from a silent movie ('The Chess Player', 1927) plus modern shots of a sinister Turk;
• - historical video clips incl. the Moscow Chess Club and the 1984-85 matches with Anatoly Karpov.
• The film hints that the match depressed Kasparov and affected his career after the match.

Guide Review - Game Over - Kasparov and the Machine