Scott Frank (“Godless,” “Out of Sight”) brings the rich writing of Walter Tevis (“The Hustler,” “The Color of Money”) to life in his nuanced, accomplished seven-part adaptation of “The Queen’s Gambit,” premiering on October 23 on Netflix.
Frank deftly rises above the trappings of a relatively straightforward melodrama by focusing on the complex character at the center of this story of genius, addiction, and redemption. With echoes of “Mad Men” in its period and production values, “The Queen’s Gambit” is the kind of adult-driven storytelling that viewers regularly accuse the Hollywood machine of not making anymore. Well, they made it here. And it’s great.