It's based on a true story, but the details seem almost Shakespearian in their unfolding. The 1984 Olympics saw Dave and Mark Schultz win Gold Medals for Wrestling. Mark now spends his time training... And little else. The film opens with him giving a depressing presentation at a grade school in front of bewildered children. He tells them of his victories, and his belief in America. His brother, Dave, trains with him, and they match each other with animalistic qualities. Outside of his small apartment, Dave's life seems washed up.
A phone call invites him to Foxcatcher Estates at the request of John E. DuPont. John E. DuPont... The name stands out, not because it is familiar, but because it comes with importance. A fade in then sees Mark helicoptering onto the front lawn. He is led into a grand library, waits in the silence, until John is finally revealed, speaking softly and surrounded by a mysterious darkness. He is someone you could trust, but at the same time his works come with a sense of unease... He wants to fund training for the World Championship and in turn see Mark win Gold at the 1988 Olympics. How could you resist?
'Foxcatcher' is really a character study of these two men. Both Channing Tatum (Mark) and Steve Carell (DuPont) bring a great deal of depth to their respective characters, and the effect each has on the other is a gradual descent into chaos. Carell in particular has a beautifully calculated performance. Hiding behind a prothetic nose and dyed hair, he is virtually invisible. It is not a showy performance by any means, nor does any one scene stand out and scream "Oscar!" What he does is much more effective. Through posture and dialect he virtually becomes a new man, one that you believe is one of the richest men in the country, one who has been spoiled, and one who desperately craves attention. Likewise, Mark's brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo) is portrayed as a believable Olympian through physical alterations and attention to detail. Ruffalo walks hunched and ape-like, with a receding hairline and quiet intensity.
There is a great deal to admire with 'Foxcatcher,' and it all begins and ends with director Bennett Miller. You know him from 'Capote,' and 'Moneyball.' While his latest film is undoubtedly his most ambitious, it's also his most challenging. There's a lot going on beneath the surface with 'Foxcatcher,' from DuPont's obsessive relationship with his aging mother, to the homoerotic nature of wrestling, itself (come on, we're all thinking it). Even at the glacial pace it takes, this is a film I anticipate a second viewing of. I don't know what the Oscars will say about this film, but it is undoubtedly a highlight of 2014.
(Awards potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Carell, Tatum), Best Supporting Actor (Ruffalo), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score)
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