This 'fox' is a little too sly for it's own good.

Rating: 7/10 (22 February 2015)

Bennett Miller is a top-notch director. Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum, Steve Carrell are very good actors.
So, there you have it. A fine director and three very able actors. And a true story to drive it all home.
This is first off, not a 'Sport' movie. The wrestling is significantly sidelined. It does follow the story of Mark Schultz, the 1984 Olympic Gold medalist in wrestling, but focuses a lot more on the turbulent and downright obnoxious relationship that Mark shared with Coach John Du Pont. This is primarily, a psychological drama. And as most such movies go, it is slow. So if you are looking for a sport movie, this is not likely to appease you.
Now, knowing the nature of the film, we move onto the performances. Channing Tatum shows commendable acting prowess, and plays his role very seriously, having no doubt put in a lot of effort into immersing himself into the character. But, I did feel that he was ineffective in showing any wide range of emotions, and had a constant 'pout'(if I may call it that) throughout the film. From the very first frame to the very last, his expression hardly ever changes, so he does rub off as pointlessly grumpy. Steve Carrell steals the show in this movie, hands down. He plays a disturbed and maniacal old man to perfection. Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz is the 'life' of the movie. He's fun and engaging and nails every emotion there is.
The direction is meticulous and it is easy to see that a lot of thought and effort has gone into the making of each scene. Silence is used very effectively in this film, especially one scene involving Tatum exercising furiously in a black hood, is silently impacting.
What works for this movie is its direction and performances. What doesn't is its unrelenting desire to be dark and brooding at all times. At one point, I literally felt like shaking Tatum's head and shouting at him to just speak a few words and tell us what his pout is all about. At the end, the story takes you by storm, and is undoubtedly the most impactful moment in the film. But still, too much is left unclear. You might say that the director deliberately abstained from coming to any conclusions or taking any sides, but to have seen two hours of slow character build-up, with little to nothing actually happening on screen, we're left with the distinct feeling that there was more to the story than was revealed to us. You're left wanting more because nothing much happened for a lot of the movie, and too much happened in the last few minutes. It leaves the actions of the people involved open to interpretation, but is ineffective in having a lasting impact on the observer. I think this movie was too subtle, in everything from the conveying of emotion, to the elucidation of each character's inner thoughts, to the portrayal of deceit and deception, all of which inhibit the viewer from actually being a part of proceedings.
And so, I felt a little bit let down. There's hardly any wrestling. There are no feelings of triumph and glory associated with sport. There is an end that could have provided closure and rounded off the movie well, but it is deliberately left for dead.
Foxcatcher is a good movie, but not great. It wants to show, but not tell. It wants to reveal, but not actually make us feel. That is both the reason for it's success and the ultimate reason for it's demise.