Watch The Tolstoy Defense

In the movie The Tolstoy Defense, Alexey Smirnov plays Sergei Petrovich Aleksandrov, a chess grandmaster who has become disillusioned with the game and withdrawn from the public eye. However, he is drawn back into the world of competitive chess when a young woman named Katya (played by Olga Budina) seeks his help in becoming a champion.

As Sergei trains Katya, he begins to see similarities between chess and life, particularly when it comes to the concepts of sacrifice and defense. He becomes obsessed with the idea of applying these concepts to his personal life and finds himself embroiled in a web of emotional and romantic entanglements.

Meanwhile, Sergei's old rival, Ilya Galako (played by Evgeny Kharitonov), is determined to defeat Sergei in a high-stakes game of chess. As the two men engage in a battle of wits, Sergei must use all of his skills to defend against Ilya's aggressive tactics.

The movie is a tense psychological drama that explores the themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the search for meaning in life. At its heart, it is a story about the complexities of human relationships and the ways in which they can be mirrored in seemingly unrelated pursuits like chess.

One of the standout performances in the movie comes from Smirnov, who portrays Sergei with a sense of world-weariness and melancholy. His interactions with Katya are particularly moving, as he tries to impart his knowledge to her while wrestling with his own demons.

Kharitonov is equally impressive as Ilya, imbuing the character with a brash confidence that makes him both a formidable opponent and a compelling antagonist. The scenes between Smirnov and Kharitonov crackle with tension, underscoring the high stakes of the chess match they are playing.

The movie is also visually stunning, with director Marleen Gorris using a muted color palette and striking cinematography to create a sense of foreboding and unease. The scenes set in Sergei's cluttered apartment are particularly memorable, as the piles of books and chess pieces create a sense of encroaching chaos.

Ultimately, The Tolstoy Defense is a thought-provoking and engrossing film that will appeal to fans of psychological dramas and character studies. It is a testament to the power of the human mind and the ways in which we can push ourselves to achieve greatness, both in intellectual pursuits like chess and in the messy, complicated world of human relationships.

The Tolstoy Defense is a 2018 action movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes.