One of the few films I got to see at this year’s NYFF was Bennett Miller’s (Moneyball, Capote) Foxcatcher, a biographical sports drama that’s incredibly eerie and wonderfully gripping. The film was one of my most anticipated features of the year and I can honestly say it lived up to the hype that I and other bestowed upon it, so expect to see its name come awards time.
Based on a true story, Foxcatcher follows a quiet Olympic wrestling champion Mark Shultz (Channing Tatum) as he tries to become a world champion and two time Olympian. The film focuses on Mark’s relationship with multimillionaire, sponsor and Coach John du Pont (Steve Carell) and how they attempt to bring Mark out of his older brother David’s (Mark Ruffalo) Olympic wrestling shadow. Throughout the film we see an evolution in Mark’s life and his relationships with these two key characters who both want the best for Mark, though one has more honest intentions than the other and it eventually leads to an unfortunate turn of events.
As a former high school wrestler, the first thing I noticed about Foxcatcher was the sports element. We really haven’t had a good wrestling movie so this was my opportunity to see one come to fruition. While wrestling is the backdrop for the film, it also is an important element in how the film moves along and, personally, it was important to see that it was portrayed correctly. I can say that all parties involved did an excellent job of choreographing, training and executing the scenes that involved any sort of wrestling element. The most notable, and will likely be the most striking to the audience, has to be the inclusion of a scene involving Mark trying to make weight in 90 min. after weighing in 12 pounds over the limit. It’s also a major turning point in the film regarding David’s relationship with Coach du Pont and where things really begin to get interesting.
A very important aspect of the film, and one I really enjoyed, was the score. Composer Rob Simonsen’s score is beautiful, terrifying and sparse. There isn’t much music in the film, every so often we hear some strings or piano notes, but for the most part it’ss empty. It’s the back and forth from dead silence to the background noise, to a few notes here and there that reinforce the lingering dread that exists in the film and make it something you remember.
While the creepy atmosphere and tense drama get you hooked, it’s the acting that keeps you fully engaged. The performances from Carell, Tatum, and Ruffalo (who seriously bulked up for the role), were outstanding. This is the dramatic role that will catapult Steve Carell from comedic actor to an Actor, one who can no longer be pigeonholed to comedic roles even though he’s tried to branch out. Every good comedic actor gets their chance and Carell took it and absolutely crushed it as the mommy-issue plagued John du Pont. The same can be said for Channing Tatum. I wasn’t a fan of his until 21 Jump Street but since then I’ve supported the guy and was eager to see how he might handle such an emotionally complex role. Well, with a serious under bite, a quiet yet powerful presence, and body language that screams pent up and emotionally torn rage, Tatum has delivered the performance of his life and proves, at least for now, that he can handle a ser
ious role given the right material. Lastly, as for Mark Ruffalo, I did see a lot of Bruce Banner in his performance, but I also saw a performance that helped lighten up the heavy handed nature of the film. Sure, part of it was the character, but Ruffalo’s sincere performance was what convinced you that David’s intentions as a brother were real and genuine.
The main issue I see most people having with this film is the pace. The movie is incredibly slow. Even during its more heightened moments it’s still rather slow and that doesn’t help when the film is 130 minutes long. Personally, this wasn’t much of an issue, I actually thought it worked and helped maintain the haunting nature of the film. It moved at a pace that someone would move when they’re in a terrifying situation and trying to avoid detection and, as such, this is what kept me on my toes, eager to see how everything would play out. It’ll be a major detractor for many, and if it is then it’ll drop this movie from being outstanding to being just a solid awards contender.
The one issue that I personally had with the film was the lack of clarity with regards to the type of relationship Mark and John had at a certain point. SPOILER After John loses his discipline and starts snorting coke, there is a scene where he looks like John’s pool boy, hair grown and dyed blonde while doing things outside the typical player-coach boundaries that we know of. END SPOILER
Over the past two weeks I’ve seen a handful of great films, but Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher lands as one of my favorites. I’m a little bit biased because of my wrestling background, but I think everyone will agree that this incredible and spine-chilling sports drama is a tour de force for almost all involved.
Rating: An incredible and spine-chilling sports drama that’s a tour de force for almost all involved (8.5/10)
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