With Tatum, Carrell and Ruffalo in the ring, drama and sport must wrestle it out to make a film that will hopefully win gold…
When an Olympic gold medallist is invited to live on the estate of a multimillionaire it seems his dreams have come true. Steady income, a handpicked wrestling team and brand new facilities are all at his disposal, but all is not what it seems.
Only four years ago the acting line up for this would have looked rather lightweight. Back then, Tatum was still fighting off Step Up and G.I. Joe fame, Carrell was (and apart from a role in 2006’s Little miss Sunshine is) untested in a serious drama, and Ruffalo was an indie actor unsuited for a major drama release. Look how things have changed. Tatum proves himself a versatile actor here, and although his portrayal isn’t much more than a less responsive version of other characters he’s played, his physicality is what really impresses. His slow, heavy movement and mannerisms show a depth to Tatum we haven’t seen before.
Luckily Steve Carroll brings more to his role as Du Pont than a large prosthetic and his usual quick wit. In fact, comedy is all but vanquished by Carroll in Foxcatcher; it’s replaced by long stares, eery silences and a tension he creates in almost every scene. It isn’t a wild claim to say it’s his best serious role to date but although his performance is unrecognisable from the Hollywood comedian we know so well, he also comes across as slightly unbelievable. His disassociation with the people around him and clashing of speech patterns with other characters makes his character seem otherworldly; a contrast against this naturalistic sports drama. That’s not a terrible loss, but it’ll be interesting to see whether Carroll can bring the subtleties of a more regular character to life.
It is Mark Ruffalo however who is the silent scene-stealer. He’s proven himself a key asset to films like The Kids Are Alright and Zodiac and here he does the same but with added physicality. No prosthetic is needed in his complete transformation into a loving, thoughtful, and competent wrestler. Ruffalo needs weightier roles than the ones he’s taking, as he’s easily capable of astonishing things.
Foxcatcher is based on fact and apparently takes a lot of its detail from Tatum’s real life character, Mark Shultz, an Olympic gold medallist who lived on Du Pont’s estate with his brother. The story is entirely unique and thus sets itself apart. Although it seems a major part of the story, the wrestling, is almost totally side tracked to focus on peculiar character dynamics, which is a real shame. The unease created by Carrell’s Du Pont is almost unbearable at times but rarely come to any real consequence or significance throughout the film. And although this is a character study, his portrayal comes across more like a caricature than what the real Du Pont must have been like. The relationship between him and his mother is rather shallowly displayed and Tatum’s Mark Shultz is a hard character to empathise with: he isn’t empathetic and makes terrible decisions all by himself.
Foxcatcher is a brilliant display of three actors at their best and, although it may not be the resounding drama it wants to be, it shows that Tatum, Carrell and particularly Ruffalo have great careers ahead of them.
Author: Matt. Cardiff store
