Disc Reviews

Foxcatcher Blu-ray Review

15th May 2015

Director Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) brings his latest masterful biographical drama Foxcatcher, to Blu-ray, here is the low down on what to expect.

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum, and an almost completely unrecognisable Steve Carell (who, along with Ruffalo was Oscar nominated for this movie), Foxcatcher tells the true life crime tragedy of multi-millionaire John Du Pont (Carell), and Olympic wrestling champions Mark and Dave Schultz (Tatum and Ruffalo respectively).

If you have never heard of this story before then you can be forgiven, and would not be alone. Not wishing to spoil it for anyone; I will say very little regarding the plot. Suffice to say that the basic elements revolve around a very very wealthy guy’s unusual interest in wrestling (a sport not commonly found within the spheres of the super-rich elite), and his professional relationships with, first Mark, and then Dave Schultz; and how the disparate elements of class, culture and personality fused (or didn’t fuse) together harmoniously during their interactions at the Foxcatcher wrestling camp within Du Pont’s palatial grounds. It’s a sometimes difficult and uncomfortable watch, with both Tatum and Carell creating fathomless depths of awkwardness, co-dependence, dysfunction and ill communication. It is left to Ruffalo to provide a more uplifting, affable, positive force that keeps the dynamic from becoming totally bogged down. This is also the wellspring from which the film’s denouement draws its considerable strength. It is a very compelling triangle of personalities, and beautifully realised on screen, as is the wrestling itself.

A quick word about biographical dramas: ’Based on a True Story’ or ‘Based on True Events’ are a pair of phrases that, while probably a mandatory header for any biographical film to have; seem to carry very little authority or guarantee of accuracy to the actual events, or ‘truth’ as it’s also known. In fact, these headers are probably amongst the vaguest and most abused descriptors available in movie-land, and yet they persist.

In the case of Foxcatcher, a little research reveals that some measured mangling of the truth has occurred. However, it is primarily focused on pulling characters and events together in time and place for dramatic convenience, when in reality these elements may often have been much more fractured and strung out. This leaves the most important beats in place and honest, and the film’s rewriting of history acceptable, especially if as already mentioned; one’s knowledge of the story is limited or non-existent. The only part that would seem to be significant is the movie putting both brothers at the camp at the same time, and the friction this causes in a number of ways. It is in fact integral to the movie’s narrative, but it apparently didn’t happen that way at all. Hollywood huh? Oh well, it’s a movie not a documentary.

Before we move on, a shout out must go to Rob Simonsen for the sublime and beautiful score. The music underscores the drama perfectly, and does what the best film scores always do, which is to deliver synchronicity of temperament to the visual language. While it often retreats into almost subliminal undertones, the balance is literally pitch perfect.

The Disc

Picture quality is as you would expect from a modern Blu-ray film release. There is a purposefully muted look and feel here. Blending the detail and clarity of the Hi-def experience, with a slightly grubby, and unflattering look, extremely suggestive of the period setting.

Audio comes in two flavours, we have 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, and for those without home cinema systems, good old 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio as well, plus Audio Description.

Bonus Materials

The disc is not exactly replete with supplemental content, and this is a shame. A director/actor commentary would be fascinating on a film like this.

Here’s what there is:

The Story Of Foxcatcher – This is short but sweet. Sixteen minutes is not a long time to cover the making of an entire movie, especially one with such complex and nuanced interpersonal dynamics as this, but what it lacks in length, it at least tries to make up for in terms of having in person and frank contributions from all three principal cast members, as well as Miller himself. You will watch this though and yearn for a feature length doc along the same lines.

Deleted Scenes

Slim pickings here, but one notable (and by the looks of things, expensive), scene to hit the cutting room floor, is where Du Pont drives his expensively acquired ex-military armoured car/light tank down a hill and straight into a lake or large pond. Reminded me of the legendary tale of Keith Moon driving his Rolls into a swimming pool.

Conclusion

The film did not make it’s slim budget back at the box office, and with the vacuous bilge of Transformers and their ilk, simultaneously generating ungodly amounts of cash; this is a shame. I really hope Foxcatcher will do well in the home media market. It is a really terrific movie, and more people should see it.

For this author, the movie is an easy four point five stars, but as we don’t do halves on the site, and with the frustratingly slender Bonus features, it’ becomes a very good four star release.