One of the best American movies I've seen in a long time

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2015)

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. A gripping, bizarre yet intriguing story. A film about obsession, competition, conflict and loyalty, with a strong message regarding the often isolating effect that money can have and what is, at times, the ugly reality of the American Dream. Five-star cast, superb direction and beautifully shot.
It is so refreshing to see a relatively "mainstream" American movie that is so well made. Unlike most Hollywood trash (about as subtle as a sledgehammer), this movie was wonderfully understated. It moved at a welcome, slow pace which paid respect to the passage of time. Dialogue was often sparingly used (to great effect). All of the scenes, whether stunning landscape shots or choreographed wrestling sequences, were beautifully and tastefully filmed.
The characters were so strong; well-crafted and thoughtfully presented. The acting was uniformly superb. Most impressively of all, much of the character development was conveyed via body language, rather than through dialogue. Right from the word go, one had such a strong sense of what each character was about; the surly, intense and hunched over Mark (Tatum), the caring, supportive Dave (Ruffalo) and the weird, unbalanced du Pont (Carell).
All three chief actors were excellent, but special praise must go to Carrell for his brilliant depiction of the eccentric, unhinged du Pont. Money talks, and there is no finer illustration of this than du Pont - a man who has every material object he could possibly desire yet pathetically (and unsuccessfully) craves the approval of those around him. Instead, he only succeeds in making everyone he comes into contact with immediately ill-at-ease, all the while understanding that they need to stay on the good side of the man who will help them realise their ambitions, albeit in a grandiose and self-gratifying manner. The dynamic between du Pont and the film's other characters was fascinatingly, and exceptionally, conveyed.
Sure, the directors presumably took some liberties with the re-telling of events as they actually happened, but what movie "based on a true story" doesn't? I generally take all movies of this kind with a pinch of salt.
I warmly recommend this movie. A thoughtful and beautifully constructed take on a unique, strange and ultimately tragic tale.