Wednesday 1 April 2015

Film Review - Foxcatcher



A Taut Drama

Film: Foxcatcher
Cast: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by: Bennett Miller
Duration: 2 hrs 5 mins
Rating: * * * 1 / 2

Based on the true story of Olympic gold medalist Mark Schultz, Foxcatcher has a slightly different arc as a story. Schultz was a wrestler along with his brother David but this is not a sports film like director Bennett Miller’s previous film Moneyball, instead this is more of a psychological and personal tale, more like Capote.

Miller has taken a no frills approach to the story, there isn’t a great deal of dramatism barring a couple of key moments and it works in the director’s favor. As it develops, you are not quite sure which way it is heading as there are two central characters to this story. First is Mark (Channing Tatum) a talented wrestler who is training under the wings of his coach brother David (Mark Ruffalo). His life takes a turn when John Du Pont (Steve Carell), a millionaire with excellent training facilities at his farm called the Foxcatcher approaches him and makes an offer he can’t refuse.

Du Pont is also a curious character, he has mommy issues, he wants to make a name as a wrestling coach but his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) detests the sport and he never really manages to come out of her shadow.

The film relies more on these characters rather the incidents that drive their life and there in lies the success of the screenplay, the latter would have been an easier route to take. The sport also acts more of a supplement and never overpowers the main proceedings. Ultimately, this is a story of human frailty.

There are three remarkable performances which elevate the film, starting with Mark Ruffalo who plays a rather unusual character. After doing mostly mainstream films, Channing Tatum shows there is more to him than just his good looks. Steve Carell conveys all the right expressions in good measure, as John du Pont he adds another dimension to his character. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 1st February 2015

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