Foxcatcher (2014)

The greatest Olympic Wrestling Champion brother team joins Team Foxcatcher led by multimillionaire sponsor John E. du Pont as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul - a union that leads to unlikely circumstances.

Director:

Bennett Miller

Writers:

E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman

Stars:

Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Carell	...	John du Pont
Channing Tatum	...	Mark Schultz
Mark Ruffalo	...	David Schultz
Sienna Miller	...	Nancy Schultz
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Jean du Pont
Anthony Michael Hall	...	Jack
Guy Boyd	...	Henry Beck
Brett Rice	...	Fred Cole
Jackson Frazer	...	Alexander Schultz
Samara Lee	...	Danielle Schultz
Francis J. Murphy III	...	Wayne Kendall
Jane Mowder	...	Rosie
David Bennett	...	Documentary Director
Lee Perkins	...	Corporal Daly
Robert Haramia	...	Banquet Guest

Storyline

Based on true events, Foxcatcher tells the dark and fascinating story of the unlikely and ultimately tragic relationship between an eccentric multi-millionaire and two champion wrestlers. When Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is invited by wealthy heir John du Pont (Steve Carell) to move on to the du Pont estate and help form a team to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics at his new state-of-the-art training facility, Schultz jumps at the opportunity, hoping to focus on his training and finally step out of the shadow of his revered brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). Driven by hidden needs, du Pont sees backing Schultz's bid for Gold and the chance to "coach" a world-class wrestling team as an opportunity to gain the elusive respect of his peers and, more importantly, his disapproving mother (Vanessa Redgrave). Flattered by the attention and entranced by du Pont's majestic world, Mark comes to see his benefactor as a father figure and grows increasingly ...

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Plot Keywords:

olympics | training | brother | wrestler | medal | 

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Taglines:

Based on the shocking true story

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Foxcatcher: Boj z norostjo

Filming Locations:

Sewickley Heights, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$474,000 (USA) (21 November 2014)

Gross:

$10,985,000 (USA) (23 January 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Annapurna Pictures, Likely Story, Media Rights Capital

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brock Lesnar appears in background during the weigh-in scene in a two second shot.

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Goofs

At the hotel after the US trials in Pensacola, David knocks on John DuPont's assistant's hotel door which has a key card lock. Keycards were invented in 1979, but were not in widespread use until the early 2000s. It might be possible, but unlikely used in a cheap motel where the wrestlers stayed.

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Quotes

John du Pont: [coaching Mark to deliver a speech filled with difficult terms] Ornithologist, Philatelist, Philanthropist.
Mark Schultz: Ornithologist, Philatelist, Philanthropist.
John du Pont: Ornithologist, Philatelist, Philanthropist.
Mark Schultz: Ornithologist, Philatelist, Philanthropist.
John du Pont: [intensively] Ornithologist, Philatelist, Philanthropist.
Mark Schultz: Ornithologist, Philatelist, Philanthropist.

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Connections

Referenced in Film '72: Episode dated 17 December 2014 (2014)

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Soundtracks

Fame
Written by Carlos Alomar, David Bowie & John Lennon
Performed by David Bowie
Courtesy of RZO Music

User Reviews

A harrowing and disturbing character study with excellent performances

Foxcatcher tells the fateful story of John Du Pont and the Olympic winning Schultz brothers. Directed by Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher taps into the psychology behind Du Pont, examining his psyche in the most disturbing of fashions. Steve Carrel delivers a performance that many will find hard to swallow. He is dry, he is awkward, and he is completely insane. To keep it simple, Steve Carrel is absolutely terrific and truly shows his range as an actor. It is an amazing performance that is bound for Oscar glory. The other half to Carrel's Du Pont is Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz. Tatum completely drowns into his character, leading him to turn in a vicious, unapologetic performance that is so perfectly executed that you will soon forget that this is Channing Tatum. When he is on screen, he is Mark Schultz. It is the best performance that Tatum has given in his career and stands to grab a possible Best Suppoting Actor nod at this year's Oscars. The voice of reason for both Mark and Du Pont lies in Dave Schultz, played brilliantly by Mark Ruffalo. Dave serves as this mediator in between Mark and Du Pont especially when their relationship starts becoming more and more intense and violent. The rest of the cast featuring Vannessa Redgrave and Anthony Michael Hall also turn in very sound and great performances as well. As far as acting is concerned, Foxcatcher is a hard film to beat. Every actor is on top of their game here and it really shows how good of a director Bennet Miller is. He takes a seemingly dry script and turns it into an emotional roller-coaster by way of his actors. One scene in particular haunted me involving a simple glare from Tatum's Mark Schultz as he peddles faster and harder upon seeing Du Pont. That scene on paper isn't that interesting but with Miller's uncanny ability to make even the simplest scenes intricate and layered, it works and remains one of the more memorable scenes from the film. The other highlight from this film has to be the cinematography. Everything is filmed with a slight tint of dread and gray, it creates the mood immediately and balances the story perfectly. Overall, Foxcatcher is a great character study featuring top notch performances that push this film into the top ten of the year easily.