FOXCATCHER
Starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by Bennett Miller
The have/have-not dynamic cuts both ways in this menacing, tragic psychodrama from Bennett Miller (Capote).
Our introduction to world-class wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum, assuming a brooding simian bearing to great effect) also acquaints us with the unglamorous realities of amateur athletics. After collecting a $20 appearance fee, he retreats to a grungy gymnasium to spar with his more accomplished brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo). Consequently, when he's helicoptered to the Pennsylvania estate of reclusive patron John du Pont (Steve Carell), the decadence on display is staggering. In turn, du Pont – his spirit seemingly atrophied by privilege – covets Mark's vitality and potential. And while he recognizes that Dave must be enlisted in order to get Mark into the 1988 Olympics, the elder sibling’s innate leadership and easygoing demeanour leave the emasculated, insecure billionaire rankled.
Indeed, resentment rages through the veins of both Mark and John, corroding their psyches and warping their world views. Physically transformed by added pounds and prosthetics, Carell plays du Pont as a loner akin to The Office's Michael Scott, albeit one inclined to surrender to the darkness that plagues him. As he forces out congenial banter and feigns avuncular affection, Carell offers a deeply unsettling portrait of a man whose affluence and isolation have left him disconnected from reality.
Fittingly, the power struggle that unfolds between du Pont and the Schultz brothers is adroitly conveyed through the actors’ physicality; with tensed shoulders or an indignantly upturned chin standing in for the words these taciturn, damaged men can’t muster. As they grapple with their demons and one another, they become locked in a death spiral that attains a captivating velocity.
