Film Review: ‘Foxcatcher’
Director: Bennett Miller
Cast: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave
Age Restriction: 13 DV
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 133 minutes
Release date: 1 January 2015
Based on true events, Foxcatcher ventures into the world of wrestling where Olympic winning brother duo Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) share a close bond and their love for the sport.
One day the duo is approached by wealthy wrestling enthusiast John du Pont (Steve Carell) to join and train his Foxcatcher wrestling team. Dave declines due to family commitments while Mark immediately accepts as who wouldn’t want to be paid handsomely. After a long while, Dave eventually joins Foxcatcher and the duo once again aim to win another Olympics.
What makes this true-life event noteworthy is that is has something to do with John du Pont’s mental state which led to a tragic conclusion (don’t worry I won’t spoil it).
Carell delivers in my opinion the best performance of his entire acting career as the enigmatic yet creepy John du Pont. Carell’s chillingly acclaimed scene-stealing performance is what keeps Foxcatcher compelling throughout as you eagerly await his psycho personality to reveal itself. Although the personality only resurfaces during the climax, audiences will get the sense that there’s something wrong with du Pont throughout most of the film due to his rather erratic behaviour.
Warning: Carell’s performance will creep the heck out of you even when his character is mindlessly just standing there, as his facial expressions will keep audiences at the edge of their seats. Why? Because you don’t know what to expect from that empty face stare due to his unpredictable behaviour. Dialogue or body language, Carell has really immersed himself into this role and simply deserves all the accolades he’s been receiving.
Ruffalo surprises in the role of Dave Schultz as he brings about a performance that’s considered awards worthy, which is a surprise due to most critics only betting on Carell receiving awards buzz. Nevertheless, there’s room for one more as both Carell and Ruffalo have been receiving various award nominations for their performances in Foxcatcher –with an Oscar nod expected for both parties in the near future.
While Channing Tatum gives off a rather good performance, he just can’t seem to get to the levels of Carell and Ruffalo as he plays the typical shy, awkward and introverted athlete role in this film which is nothing ground-breaking for his career as he’s played this type of role in past films. The only career defining moment for Tatum in Foxcatcher is when his character transforms into this passive aggressive loner who becomes depressed.
As a whole, Foxcatcher is great film as its story is well adapted and comprehensive as it never fails to miss that detail. Furthermore, the story will entertain audiences on high quality levels.
Audiences hoping for a fast-paced film should avoid as Foxcatcher is a slow-paced film filled with a fair amount of character study intertwined into the story in order to give audiences an insight into the characters and their behaviours and personalities – a highlight which keeps Foxcatcher captivating at all times.
All in all, Foxcatcher is filled with plenty of character exploration, a detailed story of what led to that tragic conclusion and great performances – particularly from the scene stealing Carell.
