Movie Review of Foxcatcher

Directed by: Bennett Miller

2014 | USA | Biography/Drama/Sport | In English | 129min | M18 (Some Drug Use)

Cast: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller

Trailer:

Foxcatcher is not a new movie. It was screened in 2014 and has been nominated for 5 Oscars and winning Best Director at Cannes Film Festival last year.

Foxcatcher is a biography. That means if you are expecting action, fast moving scenes then be prepared to be disappointed. The story revolves around three main characters, Mark, John and Dave. It is mostly conversational and through their conversations you get a glimpse into the sort of person each of them is. 

Mark and Dave have a brotherly relationship and in this relationship, Dave is the one who is the superior in some sense. Mark relies on him heavily in terms of emotional support and in the later part of this movie, this is something that John comes to realise. 

The character of John is the most interesting of the three. There is this atmosphere of suspense that is built up around him. He hides his motivations for the things he do and this is reflected in the way he conducts himself. His verbal response in conversations and his expressions show that he is someone who thinks deeply but he has no one in which to confide in. 

The story is one that is open to interpretation. There is no narrator voice to tell you what is going on, so the audience has to figure it out on their own. This gives them the space to make inferences and allows them to come to their own conclusion about the characters involved. The scenes are framed in a way that leaves you wondering what will come next.

Personally I am not one who enjoys the biography genre because it is too slow moving for my taste but I have to admit that the cinematography for this film was pretty good. All in all, this movie is a tragic story and it will cause one to think about the psychology of a man. Was the tragedy the result of the environment (nurture)? I leave you to give it some thought and to come up with your own answer.