A Dark And Powerful Film

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2015)

I must be completely honest and admit that I didn't know the Schultz brothers story at all before watching Foxcatcher, so it was a completely clean slate for me.
The obvious things to note are the performances from Carell, Tatum and Ruffalo. All are brilliant in their own way. Carell as the eccentric billionaire who becomes more and more haunting as the film develops. Tatum as the talented wrestler who struggles to step outside of his brother's (Ruffalo) shadow. And Ruffalo as the older brother who tries to hold down a family life while coaching in Team Foxcatcher. Carell and Vanessa Redgrave also have a couple of scenes together which excellently highlight their fractious relationship and point towards why DuPont is like he is.
I found the film quite a slow burner, but far from boring. You could sense a dark undertone the whole way through the film, and tensions building. I did feel the ending was a bit abrupt and maybe the ramifications of Carell's actions weren't explored to the extent that they might have been.
The score is sensational, and almost tells a story in itself as you sense the movie taking a more macabre tone towards the end.
All in all, a very solid psychological drama, hitting all the harder knowing that it is based on a true story.