It was a shocking crime that shook both America and the sporting world when Olympic gold wrestler Dave Shultz was murdered in cold blood, seemingly out of nowhere, by his own coach.
The terrifying tale of Dave Schultz, his brother and his multi-millionaire coach may have gone under the radar for many non-wrestling fans, but that all changed when the story was brought to attention after being made into a harrowing Hollywood drama starring some big names.
Unlike many upbeat underdog sports stories, the plot of Foxcatcher takes a much darker and more sinister tone following the ultimately deadly relationship between the Schulz brothers and the heir to the Du Pont chemical family fortune.
Initially the story began in the 1980s, as Mark Schulz headed to the extravagant Du Point family estate to join John du Pont’s newly founded wrestling academy and training camp Team Foxcatcher.
Bankrolled by his family’s immense wealth, the state-of-the-art facility at his home in Pennsylvania lured in wrestlers with the promise of the Olympics and World Championship runs.
After some convincing, Mark brought in his champion brother, Dave, into the project and after achieving world success as Team Foxcatcher, tragedy would strike.
With Mark now moving away after a spat with John, on January 26, 1996, the coach would roll up to Dave’s home, and after the wrestler greeted him as normal, he would be shot dead, sending shockwaves around the world.
Du Pont was later found guilty of third-degree murder, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and died in prison in 2010. Although the motive behind the murder was never truly understood, speaking to LAist, Mark said: “He admired us and at the same time was jealous of us, kind of hated us in a way, because we had what money couldn’t buy.”
He added: “I regret that my brother died, and I regret that I met du Pont, but had it not been for these horrible curses, this movie would not be made, and Dave would not be immortalised.”
Just four years after du Pont’s death, Hollywood brought the story to the big screen, with an eerie and bone-chilling performance by Steve Carell, who takes on the role of the millionaire murderer.
In a stark contrast to his usual comedic roles, Carell is made up with a hooked nose, ghostly makeup and unsettling behaviour that makes it hard to believe it’s the same person who is Michael Scott in The Office.
Opposite him, Channing Tatum bulked up as the younger Mark Schultz, while Mark Ruffalo delivered an Oscar-nominated depiction of his doomed older brother Dave.
The film scooped awards at Cannes, earned five Oscar nominations, and left viewers shaken by its bleak portrayal of power, privilege and obsession gone horribly wrong.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film garnered a “certified fresh” of 88% as one Google Reviewer leaving a five-star rating wrote: “This is a tremendous piece of filmmaking. It’s set to a slow burn, and all three of the leads disappear into the characters they are playing.”
While another wrote: “A piece of history that I had no idea of. Intriguing story and well acted, highly recommended.”
