The Chess Players (2006)

Director Satyajit Ray takes on India's colonial past in a refined satire about an ambitious British general (Richard Attenborough) with designs on a politically naive king's realm. Emphasizing that the fate of many is often decided by a few, Ray focuses on a handful of characters, one greedy, the rest mostly foolish, particularly the affectionately observed chess players (Sanjeev Kumar and Saeed Jaffrey), so obsessed with a game that they're oblivious to the impending upheaval. Unlike the director's emotionally rich Apu Trilogy, The Chess Players is more admirable than stirring. EXTRAS A list of Ray's films and a poster.