"We caught the fox, didn't we?"

Rating: 7/10 (25 July 2019)

To claim that John du Pont was a bit weird would be quite the understatement. He was more like bizarre, and consequently, Steve Carell's portrayal of the chemical company heir is not just good, it's scary good. There were just enough hints in the story to suggest how du Pont's upbringing derailed his emotional development, to the point where he wound up detached and almost dysfunctional regarding human relationships. There's also a hint of homosexuality in his make-up, though the story doesn't really quite go there in terms of his conduct with champion wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), even if the feeling is palpable.
What's sad to witness is the downward spiral of Mark Schultz, losing much of his desire and incentive to excel once he's caught up in the materialistic world of du Pont. Quite honestly, the business with cocaine came out of left field for this viewer, considering how fundamentally athletic and conscientious both he and du Pont were with regard to the training regimen at the Valley Forge training facility. It was Mark's good fortune that brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo) maintained his love and loyalty for Mark, even after some bitter moments. Even though John du Pont had an inability to effectively communicate with the brothers, he was still there as a wedge between the two regarding their future plans and aspirations.
What kind of surprises me is that I had never heard this story about John du Pont and the Schultz Brothers before seeing this film. I'm fairly up to speed on current events when they occur and even though the time frame here was the late Eighties, it seemed to fly under my radar back in the day. Unlike most sports stories where final victory is celebrated as an achievement by an athlete or team against incredible odds, this one is more likely to leave one feeling dispirited and unnerved with no happy ending. Watch this one for the performances of the principal players who inhabit their characters with a compassion and pathos that goes against the grain of a typical movie experience.