Mark Schultz, an Olympic Gold Medal-Winning wrestler of the 1984 games, finds himself in a life of poverty, struggling to maintain his training regime while living in the shadow of his brother Dave, a more celebrated wrestler. When Mark is summoned by eccentric millionaire John du Pont to join his newly formed Foxcatcher wrestling team, Mark jumps at the opportunity, flying to Pennsylvania where he will live on John's estate while he trains for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Able to step out of the shadow of his brother, Mark begins to form a close-knit relationship with John but soon enough John's desperation to gain the respect of his mother, sends their relationship down a dark, self-destructive spiral. Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher is an engrossing character study of two deeply flawed men, each of which is struggling with their own personal demons centered around respect and accolades. Foxcatcher is one of the best character studies in recent memory, being a beautifully realized psychological drama about the obsession of greatness. The film plays like a power struggle between Pupil and Mentor, Father and Son, with John Du Pont intent on using Mark as a way to prove his worth to his ailing mother. Using Mark's vulnerability, living in the shadow of his big brother, John pushes Mark down a self-destructive path, doing whatever is necessary in order to win. Foxcatcher is a layered examination of power and the obsession with greatness, being a subtle commentary on the principles of America as it pertains to "being #1". Foxcatcher questions the moral implications of this endeavor, using Mark and John's story to capture the destructive power of such blind obsession. All the performances in FoxCatcher are top notch, especially Steve Carrell, who is masterful as the deeply troubled John Du Pont, a man who has become obsessed with appeasing his mother by living up to the American decree of being the best. Bennett Miller's direction is extremely effective, and I would venture to argue it's his finest achievement to-date, displaying an acute eye for detail and imagery that exudes the emotion of his characters. One of my favorite examples of this being when John Du Pont frees the horses after his mother's death. This is seemingly simple sequence where Du Pont is shot in a silhouette but the scene is visually impressive for the emotional impact it exudes, showing how Du Pont is in a sense free, seizing the power and control after his mother's death. Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher is a film that many would call depressing but it's an extremely well-crafted psychological drama about two men obsessed with greatness, attempting desperately to step out of the shadow of their more acclaimed family members and live up to America's decree of being the best.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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