2014 story ripped from the headlines
Rating: 16/20
Plot: A millionaire and self-proclaimed wrestling aficionado wants America to be a force in the Olympic sport and sets up a training facility on his property. He recruits the successful Schultz brothers to train with Team Foxcatcher, but it doesn't really go very well.
There are probably four things I'm always going to remember about this movie by Bennett Miller, best known as the director of The Cruise.
The first is Steve Carell's shapeshifting proboscis, probably one of the most inelegant thing you'll ever see in a movie. Carell's performance is really good, and it's not just because it's some sort of fantastic impression of a real-life murderer or because he was willing to wield that honker. His performance is good mostly because of how he performs when he doesn't have any lines at all. He's a menacing presence, and a lot of it is just how Miller's camera shows him lurking in so many scenes because it's hard to lurk in a non-menacing way, but a lot of it is all these subtle mannerisms. It's the tilt of his head, the character's confusion about where his arms should go, lumbering movements. And, of course, that nose!
The second thing is a scene that takes place in a hotel room with Channing Tatum. It's not a particularly realistic scene, and Tatum appears to be acting in it, but it's nonetheless powerful. There's a passion that oozes from the screen. Tatum's good in mostly a very quiet performance. I was convinced that both he and Ruffalo--who I felt was even better--were actual wrestlers, so they had the physical part down. And I liked how subdued the performances were even during moments when you would normally figure that they wouldn't be. These are three good performances, all with just the right peaks and valleys.
As you'd probably predict, the chilling climax of this sad story is also something you'll remember. It probably wouldn't work as well without the way the rest of the movie is paced. At times, things are dreamy, and there's so much here that is unspoken. The viewer's required to fill in some gaps, jump to conclusions, and make some guesses. But that ending! It's chilling stuff. Carell's coldness. Sienna Miller's reaction. The bodyguard's reaction. Ruffalo's writhing. There's nothing fancy with the scene, something that matches the tone of the rest of the movie, but it's definitely effective.
My favorite scene, however, is a moment between du Pont and Mark. They're on their way to an appearance where Mark has to introduce du Pont. Tatum is reading through the introduction and has trouble with the words ornithologist, philatelist, and philanthropist. And they bounce those words back and forth about five or six times. It's quiet enough, but there's this intensity to the whole thing that manages to capture exactly what this relationship is all about and foreshadow things to come. And then, there's cocaine.
I was a little surprised at how much I ended up liking his one.
I think the comment above says it all, but let me add my two cents here:
ReplyDeleteThe characters were played so specifically. I thought it really worked for the dynamic between the three of them. Channing Tatum had this neanderthal, troglodyte thing going for him -- as if he had never really been socialized. He walked around and had the body movements of a toddler. He even behaved like one sometimes; pouting and looking confused. I wonder if we were supposed to see him as somewhere on the spectrum?
Steve Carrell was perfect. He had this glassy way about him. Like film over an eyeball. He was placid, but you could sense the turmoil underneath. It definitely was building to what happened historically.
Mark Ruffalo was the best. He almost always is, in my opinion. He's such a good actor, and with the other two leads being so stiff, Ruffalo was perfect casting. He looked much more human than the other two. His character was the only one who was his own man. The only one who actually was in control of himself, his choices, his circumstances. Obviously, the irony is Du Pont taking that control away in the end of the story.
My favorite part was the discussion Du Pont had with his mother regarding the trophy. She tells him that she doesn't like the sport of wrestling. She sees it as a "low sport." What a great way to add to Du Pont's psychiatry. Seeing him perform in front of his mother when she visits one of his practices was such a nice touch to the intelligence of the movie.