It was a slow movie, but well-acted and had this haunting feeling to it, like a sense of dread. Not because the billionaire ended up murdering one of the brothers in 1996, but because he was such a creep in his rich palace that it seemed obvious that the brothers shouldn't have done business with him. They really wanted to win gold in the 1988 Olympics, and his money and state-of-the-art wrestling space was too good to turn down.
All
three stars did great in this movie. I normally think that Channing
Tatum is really wooden in drama, but he went deep for this role, and was
really good. Steve Carell was very unsettling and intimidating in this
role, rarely raising his voice but being very manipulative and
monstrous. And Mark Ruffalo did well as the mediator, the good guy, the
nice family man who cared about ethics in wrestling. The director,
Bennett Miller, did Capote and Moneyball, so he was able to combine true
crime with a sports movie. I wouldn't be surprised if this story of the
Schultz brothers and John du Pont was an episode of ESPN's 30 For 30
documentary series. I recommend this film if you like true crime stories
and can sit through a lot of quiet scenes.
Nice review Melissa. Though it's cold, dark and as chilly as the winter air, the performances are so fantastic that it's nearly impossible to look away from the screen. Even if it is incredibly unsettling.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The film is very quiet and unsettling, and though it seems as if not much is happening, there is a sense of dread that makes the film quite haunting.
DeleteI think people who are really into Olympic wrestling have been a huge audience for this movie. It's not a movie for anyone looking for a lot of action.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is a pretty slow movie. I liked it, but it's more of a slow burn than a fast-paced crime thriller.
ReplyDelete