Foxcatcher Page #6

DU PONT (CONT’D)

-I had a wonderful night a few

years back when I spotted all eight

Northeast species. Right here on

the farm.

(then)

What do we have - two months to the

Worlds?

MARK:

Not even. 54 days.

DU PONT:

54 days.

(beat)

We’ll get it done.

On the two men standing in the porch light. PRELAP the sound

of POUNDING FEET, getting louder and louder

CUT TO:

INT. FOXCATCHER GYM - SEVERAL WEEKS LATER/DAY

CLOSE ON:
Wrestling shoes running FAST in place on the gym

mat. There are SIX SETS of feet in a wide circle. Team

Foxcatcher is beginning to come together.

33.

MARK:

Drop!

All six wrestlers, Mark included, drop to the mats for 10

fast push-ups and sit-ups.

The wrestlers are: ROBERTO GARCIA, aka “GECKO” (21 years old,

105 pounds, Latino, as fast a talker as he is a wrestler);

JIM ZEREGA - “JIMMY Z” (24, 114 lbs., blond Midwesterner);

MATT POPPER (24, 149 lbs., East coast working class); BRUCE

SPRINGER (27, also 149 lbs., half Asian); MARK SCHULTZ (180

lbs.); and DAN BANE (30, 198 lbs., strong and low-key,

intelligent, from the West, like Mark.)

The wrestlers jump up - run in place incredibly fast.

MARK (CONT’D)

Drop

JUMP CUT TO:

Garcia and Zerega sprint to the end of the mats and back.

Relay shuttles, each pair races, then the next pair.

Popper and Springer have just run (probably for the twentieth

time) - they’re BENT OVER, sucking wind by the wall.

Du Pont WALKS IN. He wears a sweatsuit, has a whistle around

his neck. He hovers a slight distance away, observing,

seeming to want to be noticed.

Mark and Dan take off, racing, as Garcia beats Zerega -

Du Pont stares at Garcia. As Dan and Mark race back, Dan

notices du Pont

DAN:

Hey, Coach.

Du Pont becomes at once an odd combination of a kid invited

to join in and the actual boss and benefactor of this team.

DU PONT:

Dan Bane. How’s that hamstring?

DAN:

Coming back. It’s coming back.

DU PONT:

Good. Good to hear. Hamstring

coming back.

34.

MARK:

(walking up to him)

Sir, you need me for something?

DU PONT:

No no. Later. Please. Continue.

MARK:

(nods, turns back)

Pair up. On the mat. Up and down.

Popper, Springer, let’s go.

Springer’s dragging a bit, clearly wiped out.

GARCIA:

Spling Loll - must lay off the pohk

flied lice.

SPRINGER:

(exhausted)

Suck me, Gecko.

(as he comes onto the mat)

And I’m f***ing Filipino, d*ckhead.

The six wrestlers are paired and spread out on the mats -

each pair in the up-down position.

MARK:

Go!

They all go to it - the top wrestler trying to get a hold

secure enough to turn the other - and the down wrestler

splayed on the mat, fending him off.

Du Pont hovers nearby, watching intently. We can sense his

fascination - his admiration for these athletes. Also, his

jealousy - how desperately he’d love to be part of this

brotherhood.... He CLAPS, like a coach would....

DU PONT:

(awkward, not loud enough)

Good.

(claps again)

Good.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOXCATCHER ESTATE - LATE AFTERNOON

Mark, freshly showered, walks across the yard from the field

house gym to the Big House.

CUT TO:

35.

INT. DU PONT’S OFFICE/BIG HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON

Du Pont’s pouring himself a scotch and soda at the built-in

wall bar. Mark’s in the SITTING AREA of this large office,

which gives the unmistakable impression of having been

inspired by the Oval Office. (We should sense that this is

not the first of these meetings.)

DU PONT:

I can’t get you anything at all?

MARK:

No, thank you. I’m good.

DU PONT:

In training. Excellent.

He comes over and sits. He’s immediately hushed and serious.

DU PONT (CONT’D)

Talk to me about Roberto Garcia.

MARK:

Gecko? Great wrestler. What do you

want to know?

Du Pont sits there nodding. He’s mulling something.

DU PONT:

Just a sense. Keep your eye on him.

Let me know of anything suspicious.

Subversive. Anti.

MARK:

Anti-what?

DU PONT:

Anything at all. Phone calls.

Anything.

MARK:

(no idea what that means)

I will.

Du Pont stands and goes over to a carved WOODEN EAGLE on top

of one of the desk.

DU PONT:

You see the artistry, the care, the

craftsmanship that went into making

this great American symbol? You see

the face hidden among the feathers?

(Mark looks)

Right here.

36.

Mark looks. He doesn’t see it. But he NODS anyway.

DU PONT (CONT’D)

We need to exert the same care in

crafting a world-class wrestling

experience here at Foxcatcher.

(Mark nods)

How’re we doing with Dave Schultz?

MARK:

How do you mean?

DU PONT:

You were going to speak to him

again. When’s he coming?

MARK:

Right. Look. Dave’s... he’s got a

good situation going up in Madison.

He’s... he doesn’t want to uproot.

The family. Just at the moment.

(beat)

At the present time.

DU PONT:

He is a world class competitor - a

world class coach. We are building

a world class team. He belongs

here. Tell me what I have to offer

him.

MARK:

Mr. du Pont, I don’t... you can’t

buy Dave.

Silence. Du Pont’s clearly not happy with this answer.

MARK (CONT’D)

I wasn’t... I didn’t realize you

wanted him to coach.

DU PONT:

Wrestle and coach. We all coach

each other. Support each other.

His tone suddenly turns bright and positive -

DU PONT (CONT’D)

Let me ask your opinion

He goes to the desk, where there are several large DRAWINGS

of a proposed Foxcatcher logo: a RED FOX running. In some,

the fox runs one way, in some the other. Mark approaches.

37.

DU PONT (CONT’D)

What do you think? Right to left,

or left to right?

Silence as Mark examines the designs intently. Then, finally

MARK:

Right to left.

Du Pont looks at him, then back at the drawings. On the two

of them - studying, contemplating...

CUT TO:

EXT. WOODS/FOXCATCHER - EARLY MORNING

Mark RUNS hard through the woods - pushing himself - jumping

fallen branches, sprinting up hills. He reaches the edge of

the woods and stops, bent over, breathing heavily.

Across the field, PRIZE HORSES are led out of the stables

onto the grounds of the estate. Mark WATCHES.

A few wrestlers (Zerega, Popper and Dan Bane) emerge from the

woods behind Mark, running. Dan Bane leaves the other two.

DAN:

I’ll catch up with you all later.

Zerega and Popper jog off. Dan comes to stand next to Mark,

who has taken his little pair of BINOCULARS from the pocket

of his sweats and is looking through them. After a moment, he

hands Dan the binoculars. Dan looks through them.

MARK:

I’m pretty sure that’s John’s

mother.

BINOCULARS POV:
A VERY OLD WOMAN stands in front of her

wheelchair, with the help of an attendant. When the horses

reach her, she TOUCHES THEM LOVINGLY, tenderly stroking their

faces, feeding them treats from her hands. She’s completely

at home with these animals, as they are with her.

CUT TO:

INT. WRESTLING ARENA/CLERMONT-FERRAND, FRANCE - DAY

Dave Schultz SLAMS his opponent to the mat. He’s in TEAM USA

uniform, and he’s dominating.

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