A chilling look into a murky relationship.

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2015)

Bennett Miller's directorial career only consists of three feature films, yet his mark on Hollywood is already becoming indelible. His debut Capote saw Philip Seymour Hoffman garner a long-awaited Academy Award for his portrayal of the flamboyant artiste, then his follow-up Moneyball turned the sports flick on its head to deliver one of 2011's finest motion pictures. Now he's back with a dark and moody peek into the world of 1980's competitive wrestling, through the eyes of Olympic gold medal winner Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), his wrestling legend brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo) and wealthy team sponsor John du Pont (Steve Carell). Much like Moneyball was a baseball movie that wasn't actually about baseball, however, Foxcatcher forgoes completely homing in on wrestling in favour of scrutinising the murky relationship between the bizarre du Pont and the tight-knit sporting brothers. It's a riveting and chilling, yet rather depressing story – made even more unsettling with the knowledge it's based on true events – that ends with an absolute gut-punch, but Miller's peculiar filmmaking style can be off-putting on occasion. Where the distinctive director masterfully excels once again though, is with the performances he generates from his cast. Looking, talking and moving differently to what we know, Tatum, Ruffalo and Carell expertly embody their individual roles to transcend the initial shock of their altered physical appearances, the latter two earning Oscar nominations in the process. If you're seeking fun at the cinemas then you might want to give this a miss, but if it's a (relatively) modern day Greek tragedy you are after, then Foxcatcher should be top of your list.