Directed by Bennett Miller, which means we are preparing for a character driven feature with sport in the background.
In the past, he has done Moneyball which is a terrific slow-paced drama on a baseball owner transforming the foundations of a sport that is over a century old.
In Foxcatcher, we see an Olympic champion wrestler getting involved with the vision of a sibling to the richest family in America.
It is clearly anything but a wrestling drama. From the very start, we see a troubled character still looking to prove himself and be somebody else that he is portrayed.
As we get to see what our main character has become involved with, it becomes a slow and atmospheric psychological tense thriller.
Easily the biggest attraction is the performances, and they most certainly do not fail in the expectations. In particular, three individuals in Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carrell.
Carrell is getting the most noise in the awards categories out of the three actors. I must say the transformation is quite something and definitely a completely fresh performance by an actor known for his loud characters in comedies.
His performance is totally haunting, captivating, understated and has a Norman Bates feel to it.
Director Miller is known for making his actors produce transformations and another one he has managed to get one out of is Tatum. Known for being in not very popular romance dramas and seemingly finding his true calling-card in comedies. Now, we see him doing some quite powerful in this feature. It is quite surprising to see that Tatum is getting thoroughly over-looked in the awards season
Ruffalo's performance is also getting a bit over-looked as well. In fact, he always seems to get over-looked for his best on-screen moments. His character seems to be the big comparison point for Carrel and Tatum. Ruffalo brings his trademark of authenticity and plays the good guy very well.
One positive that is also a negative in my eyes is its general chilly tone and visuals. However, those moments are quite slow, quiet and it did not seem to hook me as much as I think it was supposed to. I cannot see this satisfying a lot of the mainstream audiences, because of those many slow moments, especially in the first half.
Foxcatcher is a good long-brooding film that has fantastic characters and that is well developed. But the slow parts will be feeling that it probably shouldn't be with its fellow Oscar contenders.
I still highly recommend it. But I must also say that it is probably one of the those films that will please the critics rather than the general movie-goers.
Rating: 8/10
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