811. Foxcatcher (2014)

Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo

Director: Bennett Miller

Running Time: 129 mins

Foxcatcher is an American film about the true story of American wrestler Mark Schultz, who joins Foxcatcher wrestling team led by multi-millionaire John du Pont to train for the upcoming Olympic Games, however his time there soon leads to extreme tensions and complications.

This is a really bleak and heavy film. Its topic matter is particularly tough-going, being both depressing and shockingly harrowing, and keeps that up for its entire runtime, and although I felt that it was a little on the slow side, it was a seriously well-acted film that really brought this unimaginable story to life.

That’s one of the most impressive things about this film: the performances. Channing Tatum, as Mark Schultz, wasn’t so impressive in my opinion, seeming almost inactive at some points in the film beyond intention, however Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz was very strong, convincingly representing the voice of reason in this bizarre series of events.

However, there’s no-one in this film that outperforms Steve Carell, who gave a stunning portrayal of the psychotic millionaire John du Pont. Carell not only gives off this incredibly creepy vibe as du Pont, but also works his performance so as to make the character as unpredictable as possible, leaving you cowering in your seat as you fear that this guy could snap at any moment, and something terrible could happen, however that was a really effective tool in making this film properly exciting.

Also, this film represents its subject matter very effectively. It’s very tough to watch, and that’s expressed through the screenplay, and the lack of any sort of a score, and just long periods of unbearable silence, which was hugely integral in making this story as tense as it became as the stakes were raised and everything began to get out of hand, however it’s done in such a way that everything is totally unpredictable.

But what’s most disturbing about this film is that it’s a true story. Don’t look it up before seeing the film, because the tension and shock won’t work as well, but do take in mind the fact that something as bizarre as this actually happened when you’re watching this, and that makes it all the more difficult to watch.

There is one issue with this film, however. It’s a really slow-paced story, and it takes a long time to get really into the groove and understanding of what’s actually going on, and, coupled with so much silence, this is a pretty heavy and tough film to watch in this respect.

Overall, this gets a 7.7, because despite its overly slow pace, its brilliant performances, strong screenplay and successful creation of one of the eeriest, creepiest and most disturbing atmospheres in a film I’ve ever seen all make it an engrossing watch.