The Luzhin Defence

A lush historical drama from Dutch director Marlene Gorris, The Luzhin Defense is set in Como, a gorgeous northern Italian lakeside town located at the foot of the Alps. The year is 1929, and Alexander Luzhin (John Turturro) is a talented Russian chess player travelling to Como by train for the ...more

Marlene Gorris' The Luzhin Defence is less about chess than it is about the existence of a person obsessively devoted to a single pursuit. John Turturro gives a great performance as chess great Alexander Luzhin. He looks and acts like a cross between Harpo Marx and Geoffrey Rush's portrayal of David Helfgott in Shine. Unable to walk smoothly, his body seems to be at fighting a losing war with his mind. When he meets Emily Watson's Natalia, his love for her alters the way he moves, a change most ...more