Movie · 2014 · Drama, Thriller · 2h 14m · R · English
Curator score: 6.3/10 (285.8K ratings)
Ambition. Power. Control.
Overview
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.3/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.58/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Metacritic: 81
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Bennett Miller
Production
Annapurna Pictures, Likely Story
Cast
Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Michael Hall, Guy Boyd, Brett Rice, Jackson Frazer, Samara Lee, Francis J. Murphy III, Jane Mowder, David Bennett, Lee Perkins, Robert Haramia, Daniel Hilt, Bryan Cook, David Zabriskie, Zach Rey, Reece Humphrey
Curator Review
Verdict
A tense, chilly prestige drama with exceptional performances and a slow-burn sense of dread. It’s less a sports movie than a study of power, loneliness, and masculine fragility, and the craft is strong enough to make the discomfort feel intentional.
Best for
viewers who like bleak character studies
fans of transformation-heavy acting
people drawn to true-story dramas with psychological tension
audiences who appreciate austere, controlled filmmaking
Skip if
you want an uplifting sports underdog story
you prefer fast pacing and clear emotional release
you dislike cold, detached storytelling
you need a movie that explains its characters explicitly
Overview
Foxcatcher is a rigorously controlled tragedy that turns an Olympic training setup into a study of domination, dependency, and emotional vacancy. Bennett Miller keeps the film distant and measured, which makes the underlying menace feel even more corrosive. The result is less about wrestling than about the ways people pin each other down in private and in public.
Worth noting
The performances are the main event: Steve Carell is unnervingly precise, Channing Tatum strips away his usual charisma, and Mark Ruffalo gives the film its bruised human center. The movie’s restraint may frustrate viewers looking for momentum, but the slow accumulation of unease is exactly the point.
Bottom line
It’s a bleak, beautifully made film that lingers because it refuses easy catharsis. If you respond to serious, adult dramas with strong visual control and a sense of moral unease, this is very much worth your time.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Eli Hayes (4.5★) · 582 likes
The definition of a film that requires a second viewing; my second viewing, yesterday's viewing, shot this into my top ten favorite films of the year. Before, it wasn't even quite in my top fifteen. What an unbelievable display of mastery with regards to the crafts of writing, directing, acting, cinematography and soundtrack/score. Everything about this film, on a technical level (and more than a technical level), is astonishing.
I picked up on so many more details during my second… more
Evan (4★) · 401 likes
Foxcatcher is a bit slow, but that doesn't stop it from being a very good film. The performances keep you engaged during the entire run-time. As most of already said, Steve Carell is unrecognizable. He is great as Mr. du Pont. Also Channing Tatum haters, just stop it.
vi (3.5★) · 358 likes
they ain't even catch any foxes
Luke Kane (4.5★) · 308 likes
Have you ever been pinned down by someone and, despite all your resistance, find that you can't free yourself? That no matter how much you strain against your opponent, you're trapped and at the mercy of another? That awful feeling is what Foxcatcher is about. It's what the characters do to each other - literally and figuratively - and it's also what director Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) does to his audience.
Based on the true story of an Olympic gold-medalist… more
Xfaxe (4★) · 305 likes
There are some incredible acting in this one! Steve Carell is on another level!
2010 · Drama · 1h 56m · R · Curator 7.6/10 (688.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A boxing drama with family conflict, class tension, and hard-earned emotional grit.