Directed by Bennett Miller, it tells the real-life story of wrestlers David and Mike Schultz played by Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum, respectively, after they get sponsorship from a multimillionaire John Du Pont, played by Steve Carell, and the events that follow.
The film has everything that I like, slow pacing, loner protagonists, high atmospheric drama, and a dominant grey color palette (Yes, First Reformed is one of my all-time favorites). The film is about wrestlers, but it’s not a wrestling movie, to state it clearly this is not Rocky and not about how they achieved insurmountable success with Du Pont’s help. Steve Carell is unrecognizable as John E Du Pont, and I mean literally. He has a large nose and heavy make-up to look like his real-life counterpart. I used to think Channing Tatum was just one of those actors who used to float around and remain relevant only because of their charisma (the Zac Efron kind), this film and Magic Mike proved me wrong. Mark Ruffalo is also great, and his performance is more laid back and simple to make room for more towering personalities like Du Pont.
The film puts more emphasis on atmosphere and scenery than dialogue. The story is told through the subtlety of emotions and doesn’t rely too much on the dialogue. The characters are also well written and have the depth they require. The cinematography and the direction is astounding, the grey palette and the cinematography make this film a pleasure to watch. The background score or the lack thereof is simply brilliant. Strokes of the piano with the lush greenery and the horses running, it’s mesmerizing. It’s fantastic how the atmospheric sounds take over during fight scenes instead of just inserting adrenaline-fueled music. Pivotal emotional scenes with no audible dialogue or sound and just the piano strokes, I can’t stop praising it. This film is technically perfect, but the same can’t be said about the other aspects of the film.
This film examines a lot of themes like poor upbringings, loneliness, dysfunctional families, mental health, and others. It explores the lengths someone will go to prove their worth, and how you may start to find your worthiness in others. There are many underlying themes which are cleverly laid, such as struggling with homosexuality that never makes its way to the center, I believe it was done to get some extra points from the Academy. Some things don’t make any sense. The character of John Du Pont is very unpredictable, and you can’t seem to figure him out, which leaves room for him to do pretty much anything all of a sudden as his grasp over his mental health loses further.
The films’ technical brilliance makes every minor flaw even less significant as the brilliance direction and the incredible performances always keep you invested in the movie and make you follow the plot carefully. A brilliant film.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Also, I’ve mostly been covering mainstream cinema on this blog. I’m thinking of expanding to some lesser-known independent cinema, but that won’t give me the reach I’m looking for. What do you think? Tell me about it, and if you liked this review, then follow me; links are given below.
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