Foxcatcher TIFF Review (1 Viewer)

When we first meet him, Mark's frustrated and going nowhere. It's been nearly three years since he and Dave brought home gold at the '84 Olympics, and though he aspires to compete in the upcoming games in Seoul, he can feel his chances slipping away by the second. Enter John — a self-professed patriot who claims to only want to see America win wrestling gold again — with an unexpected offer of financial support that could help Mark realize his dream. Dave, however, is skeptical of John's motivations, and rightfully so — for John's as sociopathic as he is patriotic, and there's no telling what he's capable of.Returning to the true-crime genre of his debut feature, Capote, Miller keeps the narrative sparse, instead zeroing in on the more introspective moments of the story. And with the drama so tightly wound around their performances, Carell, Tatum and Ruffalo take center stage. Ruffalo's quietly understated portrayal grounds the film, but even though he's the most consummate dramatic actor of the three, it's Tatum and Carell whose performances will leave audiences slack-jawed. Juxtapositioning childlike naivety with volatile rage, this is Tatum's most emotionally vulnerable role to date; while Carell's turn as a man unhinged and utterly lacking in empathy is absolutely chill-inducing. Even if you already know the story, nothing can prepare you for how it plays out on-screen.

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Just as Moneyball wasn't just about the sport of baseball per say, viewers should know that this isn't your conventional sports drama. In fact, it's the furthest thing from. Instead, Foxcatcher is all about the intensity and the emotions that drive Mark, Dave and John. To this end, Miller keeps the narrative sparse — with many a scene that simply lingers on characters' expressions — zeroing in on the more introspective moments of the story and winding the human drama tightly around the three lead performances. Of course, when things snap, the results are explosive.

Ruffalo's quietly understated portrayal grounds the film, but even though he's the most consummate dramatic actor of the three, it's Tatum and Carell — two actors better known for their comedic roles — whose performances will leave audiences slack-jawed. Juxtapositioning childlike naivety with volatile rage, this is unquestionably Tatum's most emotionally vulnerable role to date; while Carell's turn as a man unhinged, emotionally-stunted and utterly lacking in empathy will chill moviegoers to their bones. In addition, all three actors wear facial prosthetics to bring their appearances more in-line with their namesakes; and while it's initially jarring, it's a testament to the caliber of their talent that you barely notice it after a while.

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TravisR said:

I think the criticisms about it being slow are fair but the performances are all so good that I was able to enjoy the movie.

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