Truly tragic

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2015)

FOXCATCHER slowly, inexorably, tightens its grip. I found myself becoming more and more tense watching it, which is a sign of how involved I was in Bennett Miller's telling of this melancholy tale of loneliness, delusion and betrayed trust.
The film is totally dependent on its three remarkable leading actors. In terms of public recognition, Channing Tatum's contribution seems to have been taken for granted, with no individual award nominations for him, as far as I'm aware. This is unfair. He matches the high standards of Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo: no mean achievement.
The exposition is a little ham-fisted, maybe. But apart from that, it's a well-written movie. Some, I know, have found the pace too slow, but I can't see any other way for its boa-constrictor effect to work, carefully coiling around you and gradually squeezing out all the air...
In retrospect, Bennett Miller's bloated biopic CAPOTE can be excused as a dry-run for FOXCATCHER. Both are about emotionally wrecked rich kids attracted by the virility and vitality of an equally damaged man from the other side of the tracks. CAPOTE attempts to raise its story to the level of tragedy but fails, because its central figure cannot reach beyond pathos. FOXCATCHER is a truly tragic tale. You emerge from it shaking your head at its inevitability.