Ah, Oscars season; my favourite time of year if you discount summer, spring, autumn and that week long period which includes my birthday and Christmas. I kid of course; the biggest event in the movie calendar is always something to get hyped about for film enthusiasts, even if this small island has to wait several weeks longer before we’re graced with the main contenders for the top gongs. Boo hiss etc.
Movie quality is at its peak right now with so many vying to get their hands on the coveted Best Picture award. There are contenders everywhere, and in perhaps the worst review segue/pun of all time one that is stepping into the ring is wrestling drama Foxcatcher. I actually clenched my teeth writing that.
Mark is a down-on-his-luck former champion. He won Olympic gold but permanently feels as though he’s bathed in his brother’s shadow. When he’s invited to the affluent du Pont estate to form a team ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics he finds it impossible to resist, but things soon turn dark and spiral into an almost unbelievable situation. Foxcatcher is honestly stranger than fiction on occasion and it’s an uncomfortable watch, but it’s executed with such film-making precision that you can’t help but tip your hat.
At 129 minutes, it’s no walk in the park and it’s peppered with plenty of scenes that are light on dialogue but big on imagery – this isn’t the kind of film you watch on a Saturday night with your mates that’s for sure. Miller is an excellent director; he’s not afraid of letting the scenery do the talking, but he can also get the absolute maximum out of his stars.
But it is Carell who steals the show (and indeed plenty of magazine and newspaper space) here. du Pont is a truly grotesque character and at times it’s hard to believe he really existed. Languishing in his own wealth, he’s a man with serious mummy issues and a short temper, though he rarely shows it. It’ll take you a while to believe that it really is Carell behind the prosthetic nose – I didn’t see an actor, I saw a character and I can’t offer praise higher than that. He’s creepy, haunting and as the movie progresses he slides into a mental state that becomes ever more dangerous and unnerving. The final half an hour or so has a lingering sense of dread hanging over it, it becomes almost unpleasant to sit through but the best movies are the ones that illicit an emotional response from the viewer.
Foxcatcher is an unusual film. It can be said that it drags and panders to the artistic elite a little too much, often forgetting that it is there to entertain, but it is held aloft by three actors who deliver astounding turns, two of whom are in roles completely unsuited to them and yet pull off serious Oscar-worthy performances. Would I watch it twice though? No is the answer. Much like Schindler’s List and other dark dramas it feels like a one-time thing, if purchased it’d be resigned to the shelf for all time. That doesn’t make it a bad movie, from a directing point of view it’s brilliant, it just depends what kind of film fan you are. If it’s entertainment you’re after, I’d advise against seeing it. But if you’re after drama that’s so thick you could sink in it, you simply must buy a ticket immediately.
What Do You Think?
Have you seen Foxcatcher yet?
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Foxcatcher is out in cinemas now!