Foxcatcher Movie Review

Story: Thanks to his inherited fortune, John du Pont (Carell), cold and self-obsessed, can afford to indulge his eclectic whims, from ornithology and philately to freestyle wrestling. He wants to train his 'Team Foxcatcher' (named after his mother's horse-racing stable) to win big at the 1988 Olympics and enlists Olympic gold medallist brothers Mark and Dave Schultz to help achieve this.

Review: Mark (Tatum) and John reside at either end of the wealth spectrum. Mark has a wrestling gold from the 1984 Olympics and John, scion of the enormously loaded du Pont family, has a sense of hollow self-importance that sounds almost ridiculous if it weren't laced with a fairly apparent feeling that he is rather odd fellow with creepy mannerisms.

Mark is flown to John's estate in Pennsylvania and asked to train for the Olympics - gold and nothing less, mind you. He is put up in a chalet offering him every luxury, except any female company. Both men, however, are lonely and therefore, for a while, they soon become best mates - two individuals who commonly crave an elusive, inner sense of lasting accomplishment.

Dave (Ruffalo, excellent) later senses his brother is uneasy about something and flies to John's estate to train and more importantly, look after Mark. John meanwhile, desperately but quietly craves his mother's (Redgrave) approval. She loves horses but turns up her nose at wrestling, calling it a 'low' sport. John's derision for all things equestrian is apparent when, during one champagne-soaked evening, he yells to Mark: "They only eat and shit!"

The Carell-Ruffalo-Tatum trio put in terrific, edgy performances. Tatum thrills in his most mesmerizing performance to date as a hulking man-child who is emotionally stunted. But it's Carell's (otherwise known for his comedy roles) impeccable timing that gives his character a chilling, nuanced intensity tinged with hidden homoeroticism regarding his proximity to Mark.  is aided by a powerful script (Max Frye and Dan Futterman) and is based on a true story. The tale is no doubt an unsettling one... and yet, you'll not want to miss a second.

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