Art & Entertainment

Foxcatcher

Intimate personality studies bring the three main characters to life in this intriguing world of sports and crime.

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Foxcatcher
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Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by Bennett Miller
Rating: ***

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Foxcatcher is at once a film about sports and crime. It is based on the true story of Mark Schultz (Tatum), American wrestler and Olympic gold medallist, who is signed up by the creepy millionaire John E. Dupont (Carell) for his ambitious wrestling empire and Team Foxcatcher, while Mark’s elder brother Dave (Ruffalo) refuses the offer. As is expected of a good sports film, the wrestling bouts are beautifully shot, bringing alive the action and the mind of the wrestler. But what’s more compelling here is the character study, especially of a mentally unhinged Dupont, and the tension between him, Mark and Dave, and how it makes things come to a boil. Mark loves his brother Dave as much as he feels overshadowed by him. For Dupont, wrestling is something to feed his ego and vanity. He wants to be perceived as the mentor of an Olympic-winning team. But it is Dave who is the real coach and protective teacher of Mark, with a true passion for sports. And hence a hindrance for Dupont. The trio of actors is in great form, Ruffalo likeable as always, Carell the big surprise in a role we wouldn’t ever have imagined him playing. But it is the bristling Tatum who had me in his grip.

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