A compelling, but very hard watch.......

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2015)

Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler Mark Schultz is invited by wealthy John du Pont, to move on to his estate and help form a team to train for the 1988 Olympics at his new training facility.
Schultz takes the opportunity, hoping to focus on his training and finally step out of the shadow of his brother, Dave.
Du Pont sees backing Schultz's bid for Gold, as an opportunity to gain the respect of his mother.
But things take a sinister turn when du Pont invites Dave to work alongside him, and loyalties appear to fray.....
The first thing that grabs you about the film and it's style, is the whole sense of unease it gives you from the upstart.
It's not just the mood of the film, which sort of emulates the two main characters personality traits, or lack thereof, it's the whole style of the film, the impression of the bleaching of the film, and the coldness it gives you.
To say that Tatum is giving his best performance, is a vast understatement, he is great, and if it wasn't for Carrell, this would be Tatums movie. He gives Schultz the vulnerability, and anger traits of a troubled young child, but it's the hidden connotations of the film that makes him all the more compelling.
Carrell though, wow, if there is a transformation like his this year, I will be very surprised. Brick is a million miles away from his du Pont, and the minute we are introduced to him, you know it isn't going to end well, and I had no idea of the story.
Ruffalo brings sanity into the estate, he's the grounded character, the one out of everyone who has lived in the real world, as Mark and du Pont have always been in the shadow of someone else, thus the rationale for their behaviour, and when he comes to the estate, their little fairy tale life is soon grounded too.
There is connotations to sexual orientation, and although it's blatantly obvious in the second act, it's never spoken of, in narrative term or story.
It is a truly compelling piece of cinema, and the final fifteen minutes are very straining to watch, but it's worth it, just for the brilliant performances by all concerned.
A great start to the year.