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The Dark Horse
After suffering a nervous breakdown, Maori speed-chess champion Genesis Potini (Cliff Curtis) volunteers to teach a group of disadvantaged children how to play the game while seeking redemption and a new purpose in life.

















3 February 1969

















24 March 1982, Wellington, New Zealand




July 15, 2016
This year, Disney bypassed the feel-good sports movie, and luckily for U.S. audiences, we got a smaller but better version with The Dark Horse.
May 22, 2016
... The Dark Horse understands that it requires more than simple narrative tricks and interesting factoids to make its "true story" stand out as a great film.
April 13, 2016
The film never shies away from the hard topics, and the actors bring nuance and heart to this intensely dramatic and affecting film.
April 29, 2016
The Dark Horse is a rough beauty of a picture.
August 10, 2016
A hugely chunked-up Curtis, a Kiwi actor who's worked all over the world but returned home to star in and help produce Robertson's film, is masterly here.
April 29, 2016
A serious, even solemn, tale of personal redemption.
April 14, 2016
"Dark Horse" falls into the formula of underprivileged kids challenging the elites at their own game. But the outcome is never certain.
June 01, 2016
A great, deeply affecting movie.
April 07, 2016
There are heroes to root for in "The Dark Horse," and you'll feel mostly good about humanity walking out the door.
April 14, 2016
"The Dark Horse" isn't always easy to watch, but Curtis's quietly powerful presence makes it worthwhile.
April 15, 2016
Curtis is 100-per-cent watchable as a puffy, mumbling shuffler whose chess lessons double as life strategies.
April 14, 2016
Curtis' portrayal of Gen's ever-present, invasive mental illness isn't mere window dressing and lacks showboating. The camera hugs his meltdowns with an uncomfortable perseverance as he talks to himself, hallucinates and turns manic.