Disillusioned and exhausted after a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight (Max von Sydow) encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges him to a fateful game of chess. One of Bergman's most approachable films, revealing his peculiarly Swedish blend of spiritual stoicism and joy in life.

"The movie is an unbending breakdown of the human soul, and perhaps one of the finest - and most confrontational - ever made."
David Keyes, Cinemaphile.org