The Facts:
Synopsis: The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.
Stars: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Stanley Simons, Lily James
Director: Sean Durkin
Rated: R
Running Length: 130 minutes
TMMM Score: (10/10)
Review: Growing up, I looked forward to family gatherings at my aunt and uncle’s house because it was a chance to hang out with my cousins. Close to my age but older, both had various interests that fascinated me. One cousin had an array of Barbies, which were always fun to reenact movie scenes, and the other was obsessed with wrestling. While the Barbies were getting into their positions for another recreation of The Breakfast Club, in the background, my cousin bounced off the walls, watching the campy craziness of WWF. Though I never fully attuned to the rules of wrestling or dug deep into what gave it such mammoth popularity, I remember always enjoying the showmanship, costumes, and antics that made it unpredictable and fun. (The Barbies always kept my attention, though…go figure.)
With a scant vocabulary of WWF and no knowledge of the Von Erich family, I sat down for The Iron Claw, and I’m so happy it turned out that way. Writer/director Sean Durkin’s film is inspired by the true story of the professional wrestling family from Texas that has created a three-generation legacy in the sport. Focused on the first generation and their rise from their local World Class Championship Wrestling promotion to national headliners, the film is a family drama with unexpected turns that offers viewers outstanding performances and a sad look inside the drive for success that can tear even the strongest bonds apart.
Always believing that his opportunity for mainstream success was stolen, Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany, Nightmare Alley) channels his desire for a World Championship title into his children, instilling a passion for fitness and a competitive edge. In his mind, passing on his signature move, The Iron Claw, to his sons is the best gift he can offer because it will lead to glory in the ring. Withholding simple emotion in favor of praise for accomplishment, Fritz and his wife Doris (Maura Tierney, The Temp) want their boys to work out any differences between themselves instead of coming to them, and it’s made the brothers bonded on a cellular level. This helps them work as a team in wrestling and when curveballs in their lives are thrown.
To reveal more about the ups and downs of their lives would spoil the latter half of The Iron Claw when the tragic history of the Von Erich family moves to the center stage, and I’d encourage you to go in with as little advanced history of them as possible. Though the film omits several huge aspects of the lives of the Von Erichs (an entire sibling has been removed, not to mention wives and children of the brothers), what it does include are poignant moments of loss and growth that are universally relatable. I’m an only child, and the pure and sentimental relationship the brothers had with one another moved me greatly. I can only imagine that siblings who see this together will find some behaviors even more recognizable.
Physically transforming into a walking talking He-Man action figure, Zac Efron (We Are Your Friends) plays eldest living brother, Kevin Von Erich, in his best performance yet. Efron is known for his good looks and fitness, but what he has done to his body for this role is incredible. That there is nuanced acting going on top of that is not to be taken lightly. Efron has worked hard to hone his acting skills, which has paid off tremendously – it’s a fantastic, career-changing performance. Jeremy Allen White (The Rental) and Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness) also deliver superb performances as Kerry and David Von Erich, each with their trajectories that Durkin follows with sensitives. I wasn’t familiar with Stanley Simons (playing youngest brother Mike) before The Iron Claw, but his tender turn as the more artistic Von Erich forced into the ring with devastating consequences is just one of the film’s numerous surprises.
The entire cast of The Iron Claw are mega-watt talents, which is why a category like “Best Ensemble” would be welcome at the Oscars. How do you single one person out from a company so uniformly strong? Even Lily James (Cinderella), as Kevin’s understanding but realistic wife, has a moment or two to shine. McCallany has been an underrated talent for years, and while a father pushing his children with little regard for their feelings has been done many times before, he brings a uniquely aloof yet deeply involved take on the character that sets it apart. How can I even begin to talk about Tierney and how she makes the most of her few critical scenes where she conveys the complexities of her roles as the mother and wife of the most alpha of males?
Ultimately, The Iron Claw belongs to the brothers, and it’s Efron’s film to walk away with. And he does. Until the final scene, if you hadn’t shed a tear, you would likely be choking up with Durkin’s most unassuming yet sincerely heart-tugging lines. I loved this film and the way that it had a love for its subjects. It didn’t handle them with kid gloves, but it wasn’t out to cast any of them as villains, either. It moves you because of its sincerity and stays with you long after the credits have rolled and the lights have come up, thanks to the richness of the performances. It’s one of the last films I saw in 2023 and one of my very favorites.
Leave a Reply