Marval Movie

It is in the first few images we are shown in Foxcatcher, that we understand how the character of du Pont sees his players. That they are animals to be ridden or hunted to win trophies and gain medals and approval of class and their own character.

The movie then shows us Mark Shultz (Channing Tatum) an Olympic wrestler that has won gold. He goes to High School talks because his brother cant make it, trains at the Gym and eats his meals alone. Tatum has the physicality down already, he also adds a strange type of walk that might be because of the aches to the joints that wrestling causes. Also the adding of cauliflower ear is a nice touch.  This is one of the great roles of Tatum's career, he has little to say, probably because the character thinks very little. Marks older brother is Dave (Mark Ruffalo), he has also won gold and just seems to be the more adaptable sibling.

One day Mark gets a call that a Mr. John du Pont (Steve Carell) would like to be his couch to help him be the best. Mark accepts and goes to the Foxcather Farm, the home of the du Pont family. The du Pont's are the type of old family from old money and are used to winning.

Steve Carell takes the turn of his career. We already knew Tatum and Ruffalo could do serious movies, but never have we had a hint that this kind of a performance was being hidden behind all the wide-eyed, loud-mouthed comedy that we were getting from him. The relationship that is represented between and his mother is something that is right out of a Hitchcock movie. And then we are given the score to layer his performance. Giving us a hint of what lurks beneath the cold eyes and the big teeth. 

The movie sets up one uncomfortable scene after another. It has such stillness with its air and has very little happen, beyond the friction of the characters that are in the scene, but then there are other moments that have an action or something said that really did shock me, that comes in like a knife to the whole scene. I don't write about things that didn't happen to me in movies, if I didn't cry then I don't say that, if I wasn't fall out of my seat laughing then that wont be in my review. There are moments in the movie that genuinely made me flinch and shocked me. These kinds of reactions are rare and when they happen they mean something.

The whole movie coils itself around you, slowly and methodically, until you realize it has you by the throat. 

Rating: 4 stars out of 4