The Dark Horse James Napier Robertson 124 minutes. Opens Friday (April 15). See Listing. Rating: NNN
In this drama from New Zealand, a former chess prodigy gives marginalized Maori children something to focus on. You can image the crowd-pleasing moves that will be played: a climactic tournament happens at the same times as a gangland initiation a troubled teen must commit to becoming either an underworld pawn or a chess king.
There’s genuine feeling in Cliff Curtis’s performance as Genesis Potoni, a real-life chess player who suffers from bipolar disorder. Given to breakdowns that periodically land him in institutions, Potoni can’t trust his own instincts, let alone convince others to trust him with vulnerable kids. Curtis makes you see that internal tension, raising the stakes on what would otherwise be a conventional inspirational drama.
Curtis has an endearing rapport with Dead Lands star James Rolleston, who plays the teen groomed for thug life. That subplot is a bit much, but the actors do their part to sell it.
