Exclusive: ‘The Dark Horse’ Clip Features Cliff Curtis As A Real-Life Chess Champion
Fear the Walking Deadreturns for season 2 in just a couple of weeks, but before we get there, we’ll have the opportunity to see starCliff Curtisin a very different kind of role, in a very different kind of movie. In the based-on-a-true-story dramaThe Dark Horse, Curtis plays a former chess prodigy in New Zealand. He’s released from a mental institution into the care of his brother (Wayne Hapi), and finds a new direction when he volunteers to help teach chess to underprivileged kids — including his teenage nephew (James Rolleston).
The building blocks ofThe Dark Horsesound more than a little familiar, but writer-directorJames Napier Robinsonseems determined to steer away from easy sentimentality. Instead, he aims for a more grounded portrait of a complicated genius and the equally complicated people surrounding him.The Dark Horsehas making the festival rounds for the past year and a half, and is now about to roll out into U.S. theaters. Today, just ahead of that release, we’re happy to share an exclusive clip from the movie. Watch it below.
And here’s a full-length trailer in case you need some help putting it into context.
The Dark Horsehas flown mostly under the radar up until now, but it’s collected some very promising reviews along the way.Indiewire’s John Andersongave it an A, singling out (like most other reviewers) Curtis' powerful and heartbreaking performance as Genesis. Also earning high praise is Rolleston, who made his screen debut as the Boy in Taika Waititi’sBoy. He’s older now, obviously, and looks poised to enter a new chapter of his career. And theVillage Voice’s Bilge Elibripraises Robertson for “mak[ing] something new” out of familiar tropes.The Dark Horseopens this Friday,April 1in New York and Los Angeles and will roll out to more cities in the coming weeks;check the official websiteto see when it’s coming to yours. Here’s the synopsis:
