Foxcatcher (2014)

From NetFlix:

Preparing for the 1988 Olympics, two sibling wrestlers cross paths with a paranoid schizophrenic millionaire in this drama based on a true story. The competitive Schultz brothers soon learn their new acquaintance is a dangerous distraction.

Steve Carell makes such a perfect creep that the tension never leaves the film. You just sit there waiting for him to explode. Meanwhile he tries to make Channing Tatum emotionally dependent on him as a father substitute using psychological trickery such as introducing him to cocaine, encouraging him to imbibe, and especially trying to turn Tatum away from his brother Mark Ruffalo. Tatum plays a fatherless young man emotionally dependent on his brother, who has been a father to Tatum his whole life. To a degree Tatum resents his dependence on Ruffalo and Carell uses that as amunition in his increasingly jealous conflict with Ruffalo. Another detail in the story is Carell’s constant but useless efforts to gain the approval of his horse-obsessed mother.

If the story seems harsh, remember that it is based on a true story. For a reference see the Wikipedia article. Be sure to read the final historical follow-ups.

Not a happy story, just a film that is as good as it is ugly.

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