Foxcatcher is ambitious but unfocused

Foxcatcher, the latest film from director Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball), is a true crime story set in the world of wrestling. A cauliflower-eared Channing Tatum plays 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mark Schultz, who several years after his win finds himself depressed, broke, and unsure of where to go next. His brother, Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo), is a fellow 1984 gold medalist, and Mark continues to train in his brother’s gym but doesn’t seem destined to compete professionally again at the upcoming 1988 Seoul games.

Enter multi-millionaire John Du Pont — played by an eerily unrecognizable Steve Carrell — a wrestling enthusiast who recruits Mark to train at his luxurious, huge Foxcatcher estate. Du Pont begins a mentoring relationship with Mark, attempting to train him to win gold at the upcoming world championship and the 1988 Olympic games.

What begins as a typical coach-sportsman relationship slowly evolves into something more sinister, as Du Pont’s obsession with winning grows and his strange motives are explored.

There is a lot going on in the film. It’s incredibly ambitious, using the frame story of Du Pont and Mark’s relationship to explore incredibly lofty themes of patriotism, power, privileg,e legacy, capitalism, and pride. The script, by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, examines all of these themes to essentially paint a critique of the 1980s, and in a sense, modern America. These ideologies and themes, emblematic of a certain vision of America, are a lot to explore in one film.

This leads to plenty of overwrought, clumsy imagery. An American flag is seen in almost every scene. Du Pont refers to himself as “The Golden Eagle,” and his home is adorned with grandiose portraits of famous American leaders of the 19th and 20th century. The film fades to black with a chanting of “USA, USA” by an enraptured crowd.

With an exploration of themes as broad and unwieldy as patriotism and legacy, the film does not find enough time to focus on its characters. Surely, the film is character-driven, but they exist only to clumsily outline the story’s themes, from Du Pont’s constant monologues on America, power, and honour to Schultz’s obsession with competition and victory.

We do not get full portraits of the characters’ real personalities or psyches, which becomes crucial as the film progresses. Any potential tension that could have been built is lost, because it’s difficult to really connect to or care for the characters.

However, the actors certainly try their best. Steve Carrell is captivating as the wealthy, powerful Du Pont. His hushed delivery, and nervous stuttering brings a welcome sense of subtlety to a film that is lacking in this area.

Channing Tatum is also shockingly good, convincingly playing an athlete who seems to be past his personal and professional peak — the relationship between the two is the film’s most interesting aspect. There is a truly captivating story there, one that the film should have focused on, rather than clumsily framing it as symptomatic of America as a whole.