History Film / Foxcatcher

* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: A ''very'' dark and unfunny version.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Our three central characters all end up frayed and/or destroyed. In the last 10 minutes, John shoots and kills Dave while the latter's wife watches and is arrested and sent to prison (where he remained until his death). Subverted with Mark. He never did compete in the Olympics again, though he does win his MMA fight in the end, and at least manages to survive his experiences somewhat intact, if damaged. Then again, he still did lose both his brother and his former mentor, each of whom were established as his only friends up until that point.]]

'''''Foxcatcher''''' is a 2014 drama film directed by Bennett Miller and starring Creator/SteveCarell, Creator/ChanningTatum, and Creator/MarkRuffalo. It tells the true story of the twisted relationship between up-and-coming Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum) and reclusive billionaire John Du Pont (Carell), and how the latter's training and sponsorship helped give Shultz a shot at the gold. Not all is well, however, thanks to the shadow of Mark's older brother Dave (Ruffalo), an Olympic champion in his own right, who eventually joins Du Pont's coaching staff. The tension that results eventually leads the schizophrenic Du Pont to murder.

* CreepyMonotone: Du Pont.
* DepravedHomosexual: Du Pont's attraction to Mark is portrayed as nothing but creepy.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Scenes showing John's fetish for [[spoiler: guns]] are sprinkled throughout the movie.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Dave Schultz was only 30 when he moved to Foxcatcher, but was already balding and sported a full beard. Thus the fact that Mark Ruffalo is 15 years older than his character isn't that conspicuous.

* AmericanDream: A brutal analysis and deconstruction of it.

* CentralTheme: How the AmericanDream is all but dead, [[RatedMForManly masculinity]] is inherently dangerous and how the rich will always control the poor.

* {{Eagleland}}: John claims that Foxatcher is meant to help America soar again, right at a time when it was in conflict with the Soviet Union.

* InsistentTerminology: "Ornithologist, philanthropist, philatelist."

* FacialDialogue: There are many scenes with minimal or no dialogue, largely because of the characters' complicated emotional states. The scene in which Dave struggles to believably describe John as a "mentor" while being filmed for a documentary is a stand-out moment, as is John viewing said documentary sometime later and staring wordlessly into space for a while [[spoiler:before summoning his driver to take him to Dave's home, where he then murders him.]]

The film premiered to rave reviews at the Cannes film festival, winning the Best Director prize in the process. It played on the North American festival circuit before opening in the U.S. on November 14. The trailer can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x7AMkSJwsw here]].

''Foxcatcher'' is a drama film directed by Bennett Miller and starring Creator/SteveCarell, Creator/ChanningTatum, and Creator/MarkRuffalo. It tells the true story of the twisted relationship between up-and-coming Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum) and reclusive billionaire John Du Pont (Carell), and how the latter's training and sponsorship helped give Shultz a shot at the gold. Not all is well, however, thanks to the shadow of Mark's older brother Dave (Ruffalo), an Olympic champion in his own right, who eventually joins Du Pont's coaching staff. The tension that results eventually leads the schizophrenic Du Pont to murder.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: If John Du Pont wanted both brothers all along, why didn't he just call Dave and make him an offer at the outset? In RealLife, du Pont called Dave first, but the film version heightens Mark's disillusionment.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: When Mark tells John that "Dave can't be bought," John takes a few seconds to process this concept before saying simply, "Huh." (Subverted in that John eventually does buy Dave, at least on a professional level.)

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Dave Schultz was only 30 when he move to Foxcatcher, but was already balding and sported a full beard. Thus the fact that Mark Ruffalo is 15 years older than his character isn't that conspicuous.

* FriendlessBackground: Another initial source of kinship between Mark and John. John points out early in their partnership that he only had one friend growing up, and it turned out that that person [[FalseFriend had been paid to do so by his mother]]. Likewise, Mark notes that his brother was pretty much the only person he could ever turn to as a friend. This is supported early on in the film, with Mark dedicating little of his time to social activities, instead speaking at events or training for the next tournament, whereas Dave affably engages with his business partners and enjoys spending time with his wife and kids.

* TheWoobie: Mark. He's so adorably pathetic and has lived in his brother's shadow for so long that you can't help but feel sorry for him.