Foxcatcher (2014) [Blu-ray]
Biography | Drama | Sport | Thriller

Tagline: Based on the shocking true story

The story of John du Pont, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and killed Olympic wrestler David Schultz.

Storyline: Based on true events, Foxcatcher tells the dark and fascinating story of the unlikely and ultimately tragic relationship between an eccentric multi-millionaire and two champion wrestlers. When Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is invited by wealthy heir John du Pont (Steve Carell) to move on to the du Pont estate and help form a team to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics at his new state-of-the-art training facility, Schultz jumps at the opportunity, hoping to focus on his training and finally step out of the shadow of his revered brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). Driven by hidden needs, du Pont sees backing Schultz's bid for Gold and the chance to "coach" a world-class wrestling team as an opportunity to gain the elusive respect of his peers and, more importantly, his disapproving mother (Vanessa Redgrave). Flattered by the attention and entranced by du Pont's majestic world, Mark comes to see his benefactor as a father figure and grows increasingly dependent on him for approval. Though initially supportive, du Pont's mercurial personality turns and he begins to lure Mark into an unhealthy lifestyle that threatens to undermine his training. Soon du Pont's erratic behavior and cruel psychological game-play begin to erode the athlete's already shaky self-esteem. Meanwhile du Pont becomes fixated on Dave, who exudes the confidence both he and Mark lack, knowing that these are things even his money cannot buy. Fueled by du Pont's increasing paranoia and alienation from the brothers, the trio is propelled towards a tragedy no one could have foreseen. Written by Sony Pictures Classics

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, February 24, 2015 -- If one who was familiar with stars Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street), Steve Carrell (The Office), and Mark Ruffalo (13 Going on 30) was to sit down to watch Foxcatcher knowing only who was in it, he or she would likely be in for the shock of their cinematic lives. The cast suggests something fluffy and easy, humorous and witty that's laser-focused on simple entertainment. The bleakly colored poster art suggests otherwise but leaves open the possibility of a Dodgeball-like movie with a darker underside that would probably spoof heavier dramas along the way to mischievous mayhem. None of that is even remotely close to the truth, nowhere near the heart and essence of Director Bennett Miller's (Moneyball) multi Oscar-nominated film. Foxcatcher, based on a true-life tragedy, tells the deeply dramatic and intensely dark story of a wealthy philanthropist who enlists a Gold Medal-winning olympian to train on his estate and, essentially, serve as a vicarious vessel for his passion for the sport and rebellion against his mother who disapproves of olympic- style wrestling as a sport, never mind her son's participation in and passion for it. Unfortunately, the relationship leads to something more complicated than passion and pride and far more sinister than rebellion.

Mark Schultz (Tatum) is a Gold Medal-winning olympian whose performance in the 1984 Los Angeles games has caught the attention of the wealthy heir to the du Pont fortune, John (Carell). Mark, who is in training with his brother Dave (Ruffalo), himself a Gold Medal wrestler, is invited to train with "Team Foxcatcher," work in a fancy training facility situated on du Pont's estate near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and live on the estate, all in preparation for his competition in both the wrestling world championships of 1987 and the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul. Du Pont's motives appear altruistic; he wants to ensure that Mark receives the glory he deserves and that the country likewise comes to appreciate the talent, sacrifices, and victories of its Olympic heroes. Mark agrees, but his brother rejects an offer to accompany him, placing his family's needs and comfort above his own aspirations. The arrangement appears mutually beneficial. But du Point slowly opens up and reveals a man different than his outward gestures suggest. When the relationship's highs begin to plummet following Mark's victory at the 1987 world championship event, they enter a low point that pushes Mark further away from both du Pont and his brother Dave, now on board following a second push from du Pont to get him in the program with Team Foxcatcher.

Foxcatcher sounds superficially simple and its cast roster doesn't exactly hint at complex drama. Anyone unfamiliar with the story of John du Pont could understandably be led to believe that Foxcatcher is something that it isn't. One thing that it is, however, and in more ways than one, is a revelation. It's not a revelation concerning the core story -- that's out there for anyone with Google and fingertips -- but rather a revelation of the film medium as art and a revelation in the power of complex performances, and performances coming from surprising places at that. The film is beautifully crafted in an understated and straightforward manner that is in many ways reminiscent of Miller's Moneyball but here taken to the next level. It's simple and sublime, a masterwork that commands the screen and demonstrates the power of straightforward cinema in which the story and the actors, not the camera and editing (as strong as they may be), drive the picture. The filmmakers understand and embrace the power of the lingering shot, of the camera positioned not only at the performers but at just the right place to suggest emotional, not only physical, intimacy or distance and allow the performers' nuanced mechanics to shape the story. Foxcatcher's technical details are precise and powerful, a treat for audiences appreciative not so much of creativity but the pure mechanics of moviemaking in which the technical practically vanishes in front of the eyes, leaving the screen as a detailed and evolving stage on which the story develops on its own terms and timeframe.

The lead performances are every bit as impressive as Miller's precision direction, and arguably more so. The movie thrives on its depth of character and the three lead performances are built on an intense, absorbing level of nuance that carries these actors to another level of the craft. Mark Ruffalo is terrific in a detailed performance, perhaps not the deepest of the three but certainly the most important to get right and nudge, then push, the story towards its conclusion. Steve Carell is practically unrecognizable as the millionaire who finds escape and comfort but also the path to his downfall in the Schultz family and his ascendence to prominence on the wrestling scene. Above all others, his performance is the most intimately challenging. The film slowly reveals the character in the physical state, compiling an outer list of manifested issues and problems that lead him to the film's dark finale, but it's the internal, unspoken details that elevate the performance many times beyond Carrell's outward portrait. Yet the film belongs to Tatum, whose growth since G.I. Joe must now be considered one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent cinema history. The actor showed a growing range in the satisfying Dear John but has completely reinvented himself in Foxcatcher, delivering a precise, nuanced effort here that he combines with the role's physical demands with nary a hiccup in the total approach to building the character and, gradually, tearing him down. All three characters are even more complex than their outward motivations and discussions suggest. The film's beauty, meaning, and depth flow from them in every scene. Each glance, every glare, distant stare, and intimate bond on and off the mat almost overwhelm the screen in unspoken detail and dramatic pushes forward. Foxcatcher shows the sort of fine-tuned acting that should be the envy of every actor in a dramatic role and a template for study for years to come.

Foxcatcher doesn't appear to be anything remarkable at-a-glance, but its technical prowess and stunning performances say otherwise, as they pertain to both the core story detail and the external portrayals thereof. It's a fairly straightforward, if not deliberate, story of insanity slow-brewing beneath a mountain of wealth and an unyielding passion, both of which mask, but cannot fully contain, the reality below. The film is strikingly beautiful in its simplicity and slow simmering approach. It ends quickly, a punctuation on a carefully constructed build-up to tragedy. Shaped by gorgeously knowledgeable and exacting direction, precision editing, and several incredibly detailed performances that rank amongst the finest of the decade thus far, Foxcatcher stands as one of the strongest films of 2014. Sony's Blu-ray release of Foxcatcher comes with a disappointingly slim collection of extras, but video an audio presentations are fine. Very highly recommended.

[CSW] -2.4- A creepy, slow, methodical, and intensely strange movie that I think was done to help develop the weirdness of the primary characters. It portrayed but did not explain the reason for their idiosyncrasies. And it only hinted at any other relationship between the two main characters. I can see where some people would be turned off. Others will be mesmerized--like watching a slow motion wreck. Probably everyone should be creeped out beyond belief at the deeply demented John DuPont. But the performances are outstanding, with Steve Carell as the weird wealthy guy, Channing Tatum as the loser gold medalist and Mark Ruffalo as the caring brother and real world-class wrestling coach. If you're into genuinely bizarre, real life characters, you'll find it fascinating. Be ready, however, for a very slow moving, introverted experience. I thought it was much too slow.
Dates: 1996 arrested ruled to have been mentally ill but not insane and was sentenced to prison for 13 to 30 years where he died at age 72 on December 9, 2010.
[V4.5-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.


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