Foxcatcher has rightfully gained a considerable amount of buzz around awards season. Here’s why…
Here’s a movie that is beautifully filmed, brilliantly acted, and deserves all the hype it’s received. But – and this is a pretty big but – it is extremely slow paced. So why the positive star rating, you may be asking? Yes, Foxcather could have had up to 30 minutes taken out, making it much slicker – but the performances from its lead cast are far too mesmerising to give a bad review. Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo have made this film what it is. Tatum and Carell especially have moved seamlessly from their usual ‘comedic’ acting styles to give haunting performances many would have doubted they had in them.
Foxcatcher is a psychological drama telling the remarkably true story of the Olympic Wrestler, Mark Schultz (Tatum). When eccentric millionaire John Du Pont (Carell) offers Mark a place to stay and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the athlete jumps at the chance – seeing it as a way out from the shadow of his better-known wrestling brother, Dave (Ruffalo). Du Pont begins to train Mark and other world-class athletes, but it soon becomes clear that his ‘coaching skills’ are not just different, they’re dangerous.
One thing’s for sure, the film’s style is different to many other sporting flicks of our time. For starters, the ‘slow pace’ is enhanced by minimal dialogue in many scenes. They say actions speak louder than words, a saying the Director Bennett Miller obviously took very literally. There are times where this approach absolutely works, such as the wrestling scenes between the two brothers, which Tatum and Ruffalo explore in absolute silence. The film’s colours are also often distorted, even dulled at times, creating an atmosphere which adds to the film’s quite unique intensity.
Overall, this isn’t the most exhilarating flick of the year… but triumphs as an educational character study. What you’re in the mood for will determine what you get out of Foxcatcher.
See it and much more at Showcase Cinema, Peterborough now. Visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for the latest up-to-date show times for Peterborough Showcase. You can also join the chat on Twitter @showcasecinemas or on Facebook by searching for ‘Showcase Cinemas UK’.
Mikey Clarke
Genre(s): Drama & Biography
Cast: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall, Guy Boyd & Brett Rice
Running Time: 2hrs 10mins
Directed by: Bennett Miller
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