Foxcatcher is a strange film. At its core it tells the tale of amateur wrestling and a man who feels like his money and patriotism can put America back on the map as the central and most dominant country in the sport.
Mark & David Schultz are real life brothers, played by Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo respectively. Having both won gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles in their respective weight classes. The story starts with them in training for the upcoming world championships. Mark is committed to his cause and living a reclusive single man lifestyle. A hand to mouth existence in a one bedroom apartment with a kitchenette and a couch for company. His brother David has the home life, wife, played by Sienna Miller and family. The perfect nuclear family, the ground zero of living the American Dream.
John Du Pont who is acted here superbly by Steve Carell is a man from wealth and privilege. The head of what was at the time the largest chemical company in the world. Du Pont never really lets you see what's going on. His eyes are the only giveaway or tell that even give a glimpse of what he is thinking or contemplating. Like an iceberg, nine tenths of him in always under the surface. He hasn't acquired the social interaction skills that most people develop over time and his general behaviour could be described at best as uncomfortable and at worst as an ambient sociopath.
Du Pont sets up a training facility for wrestlers at his home called 'Foxcatcher' and flies Mark out with the aim of trying to convince him that together they can conquer all before them and leave a legacy that will never be forgotten. Mark, who was raised by his brother and has never had anything even close to a father figure before, latches onto Du Pont and takes the opportunity that's been presented to him with both hands. Mark also tries to convince David to join him there but he doesn't want to uproot his family and move to another part of the country. However, ultimately over time and the constant offers of money Du Pont puts in front of him, David relents and also ends up at Foxcatcher with his family in toe.
One of the main reasons I wanted to see Foxcatcher was simply because of Steve Carrel's performance. When I first saw the trailer in November of 2014 it took me well over a minute to realise who I was looking at. Carrel doesn't just steal every scene he's in, he commits grand larceny. I've only ever seen Carrel play one other serious role before but even in Little Miss Sunshine there are comedic moments that lighten the mood. If you do decide to watch Foxcatcher on the basis that you've always liked him as a comedy actor you may come away shocked at what you've seen. It's not often you see anyone given the opportunity to play against type this much. Carell has been given an Oscar nomination for this role here and it's easy to see why. Not since I saw Michael Fassbender in Prometheus have a seen anyone play scary without once having to raise their voice or resort to threats to get what they want.
It should also be noted that given the right screenplay and a director that knows how to transfer it onto the big screen Channing Tatum can actually act. When he's not being used as generic guns & muscles eye candy in films like GI Joe and White House Down he is actually capable of putting in a performance that would put some established method actors to shame. There is a sequence shot in a hotel where Tatum's character Mark has a mental breakdown, in which he sets about destroying the room he's in. Tatum gets so caught up in the moment that he actually headbuts a mirror which then promptly shatters all over him and the floor. He had not been asked to do his and the mirror in question was not a prop.
Foxcatcher is the ultimate story of absolute power corrupting absolutely. Du Pont's mother, which takes up hardly any screen time at all is a pivotal role and she must take some responsibility for the man her son has become. Even though the part of the mother doesn't get much time let alone dialogue they have snuck in a real actor to play her. Venessa Redgrave's performance could be summed up in just one word. Cold. She does not approve at all of the time his son is investing in Amateur Wrestling and even goes so at as to call it 'a low sport'.
John Du Pont does not like being told no. He is used to getting his own way, regardless of the financial cost to himself and the emotional cost to others. For those of you who plan on watching this film I won’t spoil the ending for you but I will say that Du Pont recently died in prison and he was there as a direct result of events depicted in this film.
This is Bennett Miller’s third foray into directing, having previously given us Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote and Brad Pitt in Moneyball. Whatever he sets his mind to next he’ll be able to pick and choose from the A-list of Hollywood’s elite when it comes to offering them roles and I suspect the A-list elite will be falling over themselves to make sure that there in it. As I said at the start Foxcatcher is a strange film. It’s unlikely to make you laugh. It will most certainly leave you with an uneasy feeling after you’ve seen it and it will make you think about what behaviour people think they can act with when they are of the opinion that money can fix any problem. What it will do however is make you realise what cinema can do when it’s done well. Entertain, make you think and make you forget about the outside world for an hour or two. Put it on your ‘Must watch’ and put it near the top.
Twitter Review:
Foxcatcher and wrestling. Carell & Du pont. Both pairings are scary, both pairings are history making.
#QuietRage&Combat
Useful Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1100089/?ref_=nv_sr_1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8361stZ8n0w
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=138696
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4WOqUkJmFQ
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