Very good as a sports movie

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2015)

As a fan of both film and sport, I have always been disappointed that films have not caught the essence and drama of athletic competition. Even some films that have been highly regarded such as Field of Dreams miss the mark as far as I'm concerned. Foxcatcher is an exception.
There are themes in the movie which transcend sport for sure. The deference that a deranged John E. DuPont was able to garner purely because of his wealth reflects modern American values.
But wealthy or not, he was clearly a fish out of water in the world of high class athletes. The movie captures this perfectly by its accurate portrayal of the two brothers. Their personalities were different but they shared a devotion to sport and achievement. Sport defined their lives and the movie reflects that. To be sure, in a non-revenue sport such as wrestling, they needed financial support but they were nonetheless insulated culturally by their athleticism. Thus their relationship with the wannabe DuPont had to be strained.
The icing on the cake was the straight presentation of the wrestling scenes. There was none of the music, quick cuts, and choreography that Hollywood usually uses to virtually destroy the beauty of real competition.
Foxcatcher might not be the movie of the year but it is certainly the sports movie of the decade!