Foxcatcher: film review

This film is dark and depressing, and seemingly without meaningful dialogue. The only sympathetic character is Dave Schultz (Mark Rufallo), but he is a minor part of the film, which builds to his death at the hands of zombie-like John E. duPont. The latter is played by Steve Carell as a spoiled rich insane zombie who had too much facial plastic surgery. Sienna Miller plays Dave’s attractive and intelligent wife but she has only like maybe four lines. Channing Tatum’s Mark Schultz is a completely uninteresting hulk who speaks in occasional grunts and assorted other monosyllables. Unlike Carell, he doesn’t appear to have had plastic surgery, but has about the same range of facial expression: zero. Vanessa Redgrave as Momma duPont seems to feel the same way about her screen son as I feel about the entire movie…”OMG”.
The film does not follow the historical facts terribly closely. The interesting issues of duPont’s trial are completely ignored; was he sane? why did he do it? who knows. And he died in prison. Of what? Who knows?
Somehow this film won some awards. WTF. I guess that is just because it portrays a rich industrialist as an asshole. I give this film a 3 out of 5 and that is generous. Given the fact that it has FIVE star actors, that is pretty bad. Save your money and have your local CIA agent put you in a stress position for two hours…you’ll duplicate the experience of watching Foxcatcher (minus the popcorn).