Foxcatcher catches onto greatness
Photo by Katherine Rountree
Written by Andrew Larimer
An unsettling and haunting adaption of a true story, “Foxcatcher” is about three fragile men attempting to achieve love and acceptance. The men search for greatness, but instead find tragedy.
Bennett Miller, the Academy Award-winning director who brought us “MoneyBall,” tells the story of Olympic Gold medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), who tries to step out of the shadow of both poverty and his esteemed wrestler brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). This becomes possible when he is invited to train under a multi-millionaire eccentric, John Du Pont (Steve Carell) for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
When “based on true events” appears on the big screen, the audience may wonder if the team backing up the movie is purely riding on the compelling story already formed and if they will bring anything new to the movie. However, it was the meticulously developed and adapted characters that earned “Foxcatcher” its success.
This crime drama captures the delusions of three men trying to grasp acceptance by the throat, but suffocate due to their unhealthy methods of attempted acquisition. An almost unrecognizable Steve Carell, desperate to earn the respect of his mother, lures Mark into acts of depravation which hurl Mark into a spiral of self-destruction.
Carell’s vocal, psychological and physical portrayal of Du Pont is predicted by some to earn him an Oscar. Carrell plays a slimy, misunderstood opulent, whose mother’s money coerced his only friend. Nuances in Carell’s voice were disturbing and left the audience questioning the sanity of this unknown ticking time bomb.
In good company, Tatum’s grasp of the mentality of a physical brute was spot on. During his breakdown after his first loss at worlds, the camera closed in on Mark’s emotionless face. He stared into a mirror in his hotel room, which was littered with junk food, and violently thrashed his fist against his head to escape his defeat.
The cinematography is swift during the story’s moments of suspense and stagnant during its most impactful scenes, allowing the characters to flourish during their interactions where subtlety is the key instigator. The tension between Mark and Du Pont was captured as it lingered awkwardly upon the two in conversation.
The story, in itself, was already riveting. But backed by beautiful cinematography and an skillful adaption of characters through the actors, Foxcatcher caught the trail of success.
