Foxcatcher Movie Review

Mark Schultz: "I want to be the best in the world. I want to go to worlds and win gold. I want to go to the 88 Olympics in Seoul and win gold."
John du Pont: "Good, I'm proud of you."

There was a lot of hype leading up to this film so naturally I was very curious to see if it lived up to it. While I was a bit disappointed I still felt that Foxcatcher was a solid film. This true story is based on Mark and David Schultz, two brothers who won Olympic gold in wrestling, and John du Pont a millionaire who changed their lives forever. I was very excited to see this mix of talent and was skeptical about Steve Carell and Channing Tatum in a drama, very different from the typical goofy comedies they do. Mark Ruffalo on the other hand I was confident in because I've enjoyed some of his previous work. That being said both Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell earned Oscar nominations for their performances in Foxcatcher.

This tragic story first introduces us to Mark Schultz, played by Channing Tatum. It's tough to describe his character in a sense. He was clearly not the smartest person around and often times resembled an ape. He walked with a strange hunch and had a noticeable under bite. Honestly it felt a bit forced but Tatum got the message across nonetheless. David Schultz on the other hand was the exact opposite. He seemed to be very intelligent, ran the gym in which he and his brother trained in, and had a house and a family. Despite the equal success at the Olympics, these two brothers led very different lives. The film itself had a rather gloomy feel to it from the start and their relationship felt strained. I think the film took a little time to gain it's footing, but once it did, it got interesting. It's important to note that while they were both equally successful, it seemed as if Mark was living in David's shadow, which obviously took a toll on him.

One day after training Mark gets a call from a man named John du Pont, who says he wants to meet with him at his estate. Mark doesn't really question this and flies out for the interview where we meet Steve Carell's character. John DuPont is a middle aged man who doesn't seem to be aging gracefully. He comes from America's wealthiest family at the time and seems to live a rather lonely life. He's such a strange man who takes his time speaking and seems like he's up to no good. He asks Mark if he'd be willing to move up to his estate and start training a team to take to the 1988 Olympics. Without much thought mark agrees to it, thus Team Foxcatcher is born. Mark goes back home to collect his belongings and tries to convince his brother to come up with him, stating that this is the chance of a lifetime for them. David refuses as he does not want to uproot his family and Mark doesn't take it very well. Mark moves up to the estate and immediately starts training with a group that he intends on leading to the Olympics. What really drives this film is the relationship between the characters. There are some great scenes of dialogue that show the growth between them and the journey they embark on.

The reason I say that I was a bit disappointed was because I thought the film took too long on getting where it wanted to go. Some parts felt either unnecessary or dragged on but to counteract this there were some very powerful scenes that were excellently performed and stuck with me after the films end. This was an incredible true story of wins losses and tragedy. It really showed us that people are capable of doing both great and terrible things, of love and manipulation. I think the actors did a great job but the story itself was better on paper than it was on the big screen. The ending was abrupt and definitely had some shock value. Looking back, I was left with some questions but overall I was satisfied with the film. I give Foxcatcher a 7 out of 10.