Foxcatcher

The dark wrestling drama Foxcatcher is another real life story told by director Bennett Miller. Don't be surprised if I allude to the endgame.

In 1984, brothers Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) both won Olympic gold for wrestling in Los Angeles. Three years later, Mark is an aimless young man while Dave is a successful high school coach and family man. They've been close since childhood but Mark feels overshadowed by Dave's success. Mark gets a phone call from a representative of a certain John E. Du Pont.

Du Pont (Steve Carrell) is the reclusive heir of his family's chemical company. He invites Mark over to his family's Pennsylvania estate Foxcatcher Farm. Du Pont is a huge wrestling fan and wants to sponsor the next U.S. Olympic wrestling team. Mark accepts the offer and joins Du Pont at Foxcatcher. Dave eventually joins the team as well. Meanwhile, the initially affable Du Pont devolves into an unstable control freak.

Steve Carrell certainly acts like a creepy old man. He's generous to his would-be protege at first. But that disappears when things don't go his way. His agitation is so subdued that you'd think he'd kill someone before the moment he does. The now Oscar-nominated makeup work lets Carrell look creepy as well.

Mark Ruffalo is even more unrecognizable as the bearded, balding Dave. He's also a likable family man and a good voice of reason. That makes the ending more painful to watch.

Channing Tatum perfectly plays Mark as the deconstructed idealist. All he wants is to do the best he can for himself and country. In one scene, he argues with his sister-in-law Nancy (Sienna Miller) when she doesn't greet Du Pont like royalty. It also leads him to trust in Du Pont's increasingly poor judgement. We might want Mark to succeed but not at a terrible cost.

The dark outcome of Foxcatcher might put off casual viewers. I found it an interesting morality play of the dangers of greed and idealism. So while tragic, the ending gives you a lot to think about.