Sunday 11 January 2015

FOXCATCHER

Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo
Writers: E. Max Frye & Dan Futterman
Director: Bennett Miller

Director Bennett Miller follows up baseball movie Moneyball with another foray into the world of sport. However, whereas Moneyball featured the snappy humour of Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin's script, Foxcatcher is an altogether more downbeat and intense experience.

Olympic gold medal wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum) is recruited by wealthy sponsor John du Pont (Carell) to join Team Foxcatcher with the intent of winning gold medals at first the World Championships and then the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Mark sees this as a chance to step out of the shadow of brother Dave (Ruffalo), himself a champion wrestler and also an accomplished coach. Du Pont himself is attempting to step out of someone's shadow but in his case it's his mother (an ice-cold Vanessa Redgrave) and he will stop at nothing to prove to her just how great a leader of men he can be. Chasing the dream, as it so often does, comes at a hefty and ultimately tragic price...

The autumnal colours, the languid pace and the sparse, sometimes mumbled dialogue should give you a pretty good idea as to whether you're going to stick with Foxcatcher over its 129 minutes. Events unfold slowly and the repressed emotions of its characters create an almost suffocating atmosphere in which you're constantly on edge, wondering if or when someone will explode with rage. It's effective, unsettling film-making that won't be to everyone's taste.

Next to the performances. Steve Carell has rightly been praised for his portrayal of du Pont. The make-up and prosthetic nose instantly distance us from the Steve Carell we know but it's his portrayal of an eerily obsessive individual that is truly impressive. Without any histrionics he manages to be utterly terrifying and any nods he may receive in terms of acting awards will be well deserved.

That said, it's not just the Steve Carell show. Both Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo prove to be equally superb, each in a role that has them playing somewhat against type. Tatum dials down his usual charismatic hunk image to play a character that may have the physique of his Jump Street character but lacks confidence in his abilities, has incredible difficultly articulating his feelings and cuts a lonely, lost figure indeed. Note to self: the guy can really act.

Completing the awkward triangle is Mark Ruffalo as the older Schultz brother. Ruffalo's trademark crumpled charm is nowhere to be seen here as he plays a quiet, decent, principled, family-oriented man who sees the insecurities in his younger brother and attempts to keep him on an even keel. It's a subtle performance yet it's one that isn't overshadowed by either Carell or Tatum. Keeping the playing against image theme going, Sienna Miller is decidedly unglamourous in a relatively small but nonetheless finely-played role as Dave's wife.

Foxcatcher, for me, is about many things. It's about the competitive nature that exists within all of us. It's about men who can express themselves in a wrestling bout but can hardly talk to each other about what they truly feel. It's about people trying to find their place in the world. It's about other people trying not to lose theirs. It features three truly outstanding performances and it builds both ominously and skilfully to a shocking conclusion, which is all the more gut-wrenching for it being a true story.

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