History Film / Foxcatcher

* WhamShot: John [[spoiler:pulling a gun out]] on Dave.

* SinisterSchnozz: Carell wears a prosthetic nose as the manipulative Du Pont.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: A bonding theme of Mark and John, both of whom are constantly overshadowed by their brother and mother, respectively.

* WhamShot: John [[spoiler:pulling his gun out]] on Dave.

* WhamShot: John pulling his car up to Dave and [[spoiler:pulling a gun out on him]].

* WellDoneSonGuy: Du Pont, constantly wishing for the approval of his mother.

The film premiered to rave reviews at the Cannes film festival, winning the Best Director prize in the process. It will play 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 an upcoming drama 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.

* AmericanDream: A brutal analysis and deconstruction

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Our three central characters all end up frayed and/or destroyed. In the last 10 minutes, John shoots/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.]]

* FriendlessBackground: Another initial source of kinship between Mark and Jon. Jon 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.

* PromotionToParent: Mark implies that David was essentially this to him after their parents divorced when the former was only 2 years old. It's shown in their interactions together, particularly whenever Dave has to calm Mark down whenever he gets upset.

* MakeSureHesDead: [[spoiler: John shoots Mark three times to certify this. The latter two while Mark is crawling on the ground.]]

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: A bonding theme of Mark and Jon, both of whom are constantly overshadowed by their brother and mother, respectively.

* 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.

* EccentricMIllionaire: John du Pont seems like one of these at first, though given his mental illness, this trope ends up getting played in a lot darker fashion than usual.

* DownerEnding: [[Our three central characters all end up frayed and/or destroyed. In the last 10 minutes, John shoots/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.]]

* ForegoneConclusion: For many, one of the primary selling points of the film in synopsis is the fact that [[spoiler: John du Pont kills Mark Schultz]] in the finale.

* ForegoneConclusion: For many, the main selling point of the film in synopsis is the fact that [[spoiler: John du Pont kills Mark Schultz]] in the finale.

* WhatMightHaveBeen:
** Creator/GaryOldman was Miller's original choice for the role of John Du Pont, and Bill Nighy was also considered before Carell was cast.
** Creator/RyanGosling and Creator/HeathLedger were considered to play Mark before Channing Tatum was cast.

* PlayingAgainstType: Steve Carell, mostly known for comic roles, is almost unrecognizable as the creepy and schizophrenic John Du Pont

''Foxcatcher'' is an upcoming drama 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.

* TheAmericanDream: A brutal analysis and deconstruction

* TheIdleRich: The Du Pont family.