Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher contains sharp performances, a great deal of psychological nuance, and a pace that could be charitably described as "deliberate." It undeniably fits in his oeuvre, which includes the penetrating biopic Capote and Moneyball, quite possibly the most cerebral baseball movie ever made. Foxcatcher is, like those films, inspired by real-life events, but it's ultimately hampered by its inability to settle on a main character. Channing Tatum plays Mark Schultz, an Olympic gold-medal-winning wrestler who is scrounging together a living speaking at schools; at the same time, he's training with his older brother and fellow wrestling champion David Schultz (Mark Ruffalo). One day, Mark gets a call saying that John du Pont (a nearly unrecognizable Steve Carell) would like to fly him to his palatial estate and talk about the future. It turns out that John wants to fund the Olympic wrestling team, and he asks both Mark and David to come train and coach there. David turns down the offer, as he's got a steady gig as a college coach and a family he doesn't want to move, but Mark sees this as a chance to strike out on his own. John, one of the wealthiest Americans of his day, quickly proves to be quite odd. He has a competitive streak with his disapproving mother, does a lot of cocaine, and seems to have a need to bond with other men. Mark, in search of a father figure, quickly grows close to the peculiar billionaire, but eventually John's wild ways undermine his training. David later joins them, but that leads to a divide between the increasingly unstable John and his protégé. As with his previous films, Miller's strongest asset is his ability to work with actors. For starters, Mark Ruffalo is simply perfect as David Schultz. He makes the character's affection for his brother, his inherent distrust of John, and his wrestling skills seem completely natural and believable. Carell, fitted with a prosthetic nose that resembles a beak, makes John an eerie creep from his very first appearance onscreen. It's a performance that possibly tips its hand too early -- a few more hints of normalcy would have made the character's psychological collapse more resonant -- yet Carell masterfully plays John's awkwardness (in that sense, the character is a deadly serious version of Michael Scott, his signature role from The Office). And Channing Tatum displays his animalistic side here: His Mark is psychologically and emotionally fragile despite being a physical brute, and Tatum captures both of these extremes with an ease that could lead many to underestimate his talent -- it doesn't seem like he's acting. He has a scene in which, having lost at a major meet, he trashes his hotel room, and he goes about the task with such abandon that it's genuinely scary. The physicality on display in that moment is a motif throughout the movie. A key early scene features David and Mark practicing against each other, and it's a nearly dialogue-free sequence in which the power dynamic between the two brothers plays out as they grapple. It's a brilliant scene where movement and action reveal character, and it allows those without any wrestling knowledge to appreciate the physical arduousness of the sport. We see a lot of physical affection between the two brothers throughout the film -- they hug each other often -- and this is contrasted with John's distant relationship with his mother. It's readily apparent that John seeks the closeness that Mark and David have, and screenwriters Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye avoid hammering this home with corny or obvious dialogue. Miller's movie requires your attention, and attempts to keep it with a methodical pace. This is a film that creeps along, demanding you watch very closely to pick up on every nuance that passes across the actors' faces. It's an approach that has worked for Miller in the past, but Foxcatcher trips up by making Mark the center of the story. That decision is understandable, since Mark is the audience surrogate into John's bizarre world and learns the ropes just as we do. However, he disappears from the movie in the third act, leaving us to simply wait for the tragic ending that, even if you don't know the real-life story, is readily apparent in the foreboding atmosphere and Carell's quietly unhinged performance. There is much to admire in Foxcatcher, but it's a picture that tests, and ultimately breaks, the limits of Miller's chilly approach to filmmaking. He's failed to give us a reason to care; what transpires is fascinating, but it isn't emotionally engaging. It might be based on real life, but it's too controlled and composed to feel real.
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