In essence, Foxcatcher is an intriguing story poorly told. It’s based on the true, scandalous and tragic tale of how multi-millionaire John du Pont basically bought the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team and proceeded to ruin the lives of the Gold Medal winning Schultz brothers, with extremely bizarre behavior and murder ensuing. There is doubtless plenty of fascinating drama to be mined here, but believe it or not, the filmmakers have managed to turn Foxcatcher into an excruciating snooze fest.

And the cinematic waste is even more shameful when you realize that Channing Tatum, as the shy, self-conscious Mark Schultz; Mark Ruffalo as the confident and gregarious older brother Dave Shultz; and Steve Carell, almost unrecognizable as plum loco John “The Eagle” Du Pont, give some of the best performances of their careers. How could director Bennett Miller, who also made Moneyball and Capote, come up with such a dreary film when given such outstanding actors and material?

Foxcatcher randomly drifts along, with no dramatic arch or building momentum. Some critics are celebrating this film for its innuendo and subtlety, but to me its single note and gray pallet made it a frustrating, long, slow, shadowy slog. The filmmakers seem to be a little too careful not to go out on a limb, in favor of clinging to the dull safety of the trunk.

When the ending came abruptly and seemingly out of nowhere, as perhaps the real incident truly did, I found myself relieved that it might finally be over. Once home, I looked up the actual events online, and found that there were many more bizarre and intriguing occurrences that were left out, and that some of the more astounding things happened after the film left off.

Even if you’re a die hard Channing Tatum or Steve Carell fan, my advice to you is to watch Foxcatcher at home with frequent potty breaks and your finger on the fast forward button. Wait for the sequel — in another director’s hands, it could be great. Or better yet, skip the whole movie and read about the incidents. In this case, the facts are better than this fiction.

Rated R

2 Hours 10 Minutes