'Foxcatcher' review

2014 taught us a lot of things about the world of film. But if there's one big thing to take away from the last year, it's that Channing Tatum is an absolutely brilliant actor. He was terrific in the smash-hit comedy 22 Jump Street, and he's heartbreaking in Bennett Miller's masterful sports drama Foxcatcher. This insightful and compelling drama takes a little while to get started, but if you stick with it, you'll be rewarded with one of the year's best movies. Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and a disturbingly creepy Steve Carell all give incredible performances in this dense, chilly and complex film, while Bennett Miller's methodical direction creates an ominous mood that is absolutely gripping. Foxcatcher is one of the best character studies of the year, a momentous film about relationships, jealousy and determination that will compel and disturb you in equal measure.

Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum) won a gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles games, but is now living a pretty depressing life. He trains at a local rec gym with his brother Dave (Ruffalo), eats ramen noodles for lunch in his small apartment, and lectures to elementary school classes to get a little money on the side. So when billionaire John du Pont (Carell) offers Mark a chance to train at his estate, Foxcatcher Farms, and handpick his team to train for the World Championships, Mark's decision is an easy one. Mark finds success at Foxcatcher and du Pont becomes a father figure and mentor to him and du Pont gets the glory he always wanted. But their relationship becomes more complex, especially as Dave finds his way to Foxcatcher. Mark's psychological issues, Dave's charisma and du Pont's sleazy manipulation clash in a series of intensely tragic events. 

Foxcatcher is a tricky film to get a grasp on, but once you get it, you're fully entranced. It took me a while to warm up to Foxcatcher's methodical pacing and quiet atmosphere. The first twenty minutes are pretty quiet, only depicting Mark's everyday activities. However, as you get into the meat of the film, you realize that all of those slow moments at the beginning were completely necessary to build character. By the end of the first twenty minutes of the film, the audience is able to understand Mark's sadness, desperation and anger. As the film progressed, I quickly began to understand the relationship between the three principal characters and that made all the difference in the world. I was enthralled for the rest of the film's 134 minute runtime (for a film that moves pretty slowly, it went by in no time). 

*Mild Spoilers for the Rest of this review*

On the surface, it may seem like a gimmicky move to have two well-established actors play completely against type, but as I got deeper into the film, I realized that it was the perfect choice. Carell creates an frightening portrayal of a lonely person, desperate to prove themselves and be a part of a brotherhood. Du Pont is socially awkward, but he understands how to manipulate and use people and use their own vulnerabilities for his personal gain. While the fact that du Pont wanted to be a wrestler and failed may have partly motivated him to bring Mark and the US team to Foxcatcher, I believe that it was more about proving himself and getting that glory he always wanted. 

Du Pont was born into a rich family and sheltered throughout his entire life. His mother (portrayed chillingly by Vanessa Redgrave) bought his only friend and controlled much of his life. Du Pont never truly had the chance to be a man or do anything for himself. The US wrestling team was his way of being the leader, mentor and idol that he always thought of himself of. John seriously believed that he was an inspirational figure to his wrestlers (the guy calls himself "Golden Eagle") and he used America as a disguise for his motives. His true motives were to prove to the world and especially to his mother (there's a lot of Norman Bates in du Pont, with the local mannerisms and the ornithology) that he was a real, important and superior man. Part of it was ego, part of it was his desire for glory and the cocaine probably had something to do with it too. 

On the other hand, Tatum is a quiet revelation in Foxcatcher. He plays Mark as a man who always felt the need to break out of his brother's shadow. For most of his life, Mark was known as "Dave Schultz's brother" and that hurt him. The two brothers truly cared for each other, but their relationship is quite tricky. When du Pont came into the picture, he told Mark all the right things and that made Mark think that du Pont was on his side. And for a while, it works. Mark reveres du Pont as a god and gets angry at anybody who doesn't recognize his brilliance. In reality, du Pont manipulated Mark for his own gain and ended up having a bizarre relationship with him. When du Pont brings Dave to Foxcatcher, Mark views it as a betrayal and that's why the relationship between the two men is quite tricky throughout the film. Mark realizes that his brother is the one truly on his side and it makes for an uncomfortably intense relationship between the three for the rest of the film. 

I could go on and on about these characters and their fears, motivations and goals, but I feel that would be futile after a while. But honestly, this film could be taught in psychology courses in college. There's so much to unpack in this film and the two main characters are endlessly compelling. Ruffalo's Dave is less complex, but he's the emotional center of the movie and the guy that the audience can relate to. He's a charismatic, friendly individual who genuinely cares for his brother and wants to help him out. Ruffalo is terrific in this role and holds his own along with the two brilliant lead performances.

In its second half, Foxcatcher becomes an atmospheric, menacing thriller that manages to make even the slightest character movement interesting. A simple scene where Dave is interviewed for a documentary about du Pont goes on for about five minutes and is absolutely gripping because it allows for Dave to be more than just the likable center of the world. Mark's pain also comes out at times and his character becomes more and more compelling throughout. For those who don't know the true story, the tragedy at the end may come as a surprise, but for those who know what's going to happen, it's like an ominous light waiting at the end of the film. You know that it's coming and every movement leads to it. The final scene of the film (after the tragedy) is sad and haunting and it certainly filled me with a feeling that I can't quite describe. 

Bennett Miller could have made a fairly straight biopic out of this story, but instead opted for something much more interesting. His ability to build mood and character is absolutely impeccable and he creates two people that are more fascinating than most of the other movie characters this year. Mark Schultz and John du Pont are incredibly memorable characters and I still feel like I've only scratched the surface of their characters. Part of the credit should definitely go to E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, who crafted a terrific screenplay with some chillingly fantastic scenes. 

Foxcatcher is an amazing and dazzling film with knockout performances from Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell. The film provides a bounty of topics worth discussing and I feel that repeat viewings will only make Foxcatcher richer and more compelling. But for right now, one viewing will have to do and that one viewing convinced me that Foxcatcher is one of the year's best movies, a thrilling and intriguing study of two damaged men and the one man that came between them. 

THE FINAL GRADE:  A                                              (9.2/10)

Image Credits: Fandango, Examiner, Flickering Myth, Huffington Post, NY Daily News, Screen Crush