Movie Review: ‘The Iron Claw’
Plot: Inspired by true events, director Sean Durkin’s latest chronicles the vicissitudes of the Von Erich family. Considered by many to be the greatest family in the history of professional wrestling, The Iron Claw explores the triumphs and tragedies of brothers Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simmons) as they are pushed by their brutal, obsessive, and strict father Fritz (Holt McCallany). As Kevin watches the tragedies mount, he begins to question what’s really important while holding on to the sacred bond of brotherhood. To evolve beyond his own pain, Kevin will have to grapple with the family “curse” and what it means to be a son, a husband, a father, and a brother.
Review: So full disclosure, I’ve never been a pro wresting fan. I remember waking up on Saturday mornings in the 1980s and rushing downstairs to watch cartoons. However, when 11:30 hit and pro wrestling turned on, I tuned out. There was a brief time in my early 20s where I was obsessed with The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, but it was the exception rather than the rule. All of this is to say if you’re not a pro wrestling fan, don’t let that prevent you from seeing The Iron Claw. It is so much more than muscled-up, tanned dudes in Spandex beating each other up. You can just pile drive that pre-conceived notion right into the Earth’s crust.
With The Iron Claw, writer/director Sean Durkin (in only his third feature length film) crafts a taunt, raw, and gritty family drama. Steeped in tragedy but also a remarkable statement about the enduring bonds of brotherhood, Zac Efron delivers a triumphant and career defining performance that forever changed my perception of him as an actor. A searing takedown of toxic masculinity and the deadly cost of single-minded obsession, Durkin and company draw you in with an intimate story that makes you fully invested in the Von Erich family and their triumphs and tragedies. Every high felt like a joyous high-five and every low felt like a kick to the solar plexus.
Durkin’s screenplay is one of the best of 2023, exuding an intimacy that I didn’t think was possible. We are drawn into the most vital and intimate moments of the Von Erich family life, whether it’s the camaraderie of Kerry, David, and Kevin sneaking Mike out of the house to play a gig at the local college, the crushing disappointment of Kerry being unable to participate in the 1980 Olympics, the joy of Kevin’s wedding, or a nerve-wracking Christmas eve where Kerry bequeaths his father Fritz with a vintage gun. You are fully invested in the story of the Von Erichs, which makes the tragedies that befall them that much more devastating. The last fifteen minutes of this film left me a blubbering mess with Durkin bringing to life a scene that broke me in the best possible way.
The Iron Claw is also a visual marvel as Durkin uses cinematographer Matyas Erdely to great effect. Every frame is designed to draw the eye to a specific area in a way that fosters intimacy. The focus often lingers on the reactions of the central characters, particularly Kevin, enhancing and heightening your own reaction to the events surrounding them. As impressive as the wrestling scenes are (often overlayed with songs from Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, and other 70s greats), it’s the scenes and shot selection outside of the ring that will stay with me the longest. It dovetails nicely with some sleek editing from award winner Matthew Hannam and a compelling score from Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire fame.
Yet none of the aforementioned cinematic touches mean anything without a phenomenal cast and believe me, this cast is phenomenal. Holt McCallany could have played the patriarch Fritz as a one-note son of bitch but eschews that stereotype for something much more nuanced. Don’t misunderstand me, Fritz is an ego driven son of a bitch, but he loves the sport and his family dearly. You feel sympathy for a man who never got his shot and intriguingly, might have had a classically trained music career. He genuinely wants to see the sport and his family reach stratospheric heights. Yet he also deliberately pays Kevin and others less than they are worth, takes no personal responsibility for the trauma he inflicts, and often displays a shocking callousness, particularly when tragedy befalls the family.
Lily James continues to impress me with each passing film, playing Pam (Kevin’s wife) with a soulfulness and empathy that Kevin desperately needs. Her focus is family as well but from a much more nurturing perspective. Her ultimate dream is to live on a ranch where all extended family members live, surrounded by animals. It’s a dream you desperately want for her but also for Kevin’s sanity. James’ performance balances nicely with Maura Tierney’s Doris, Kevin’s mother. A mother who tries to instill God in the lives of her sons, she’s nevertheless a long-suffering wife and does little to protect them from the stricture of her husband Fritz. Doris is tragic but culpable as well.
However, the brother dynamic is the beating heart of The Iron Claw. Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White brings a soulfulness and sorrow to Kerry, and Simons’ portrayal of Mike may be the most tragic of the bunch. Yet I thought Harris Dickinson’s David was the standout. He’s the most charismatic and humorous of the bunch and clearly he handles the stress and weathers the storms of his father better than others. Dickinson steals every scene he’s in and I hope his career flourishes.
It is Zac Efron’s powerhouse performance however, that remains the throughline in The Iron Claw. I can’t emphasize enough what a truly transcendent performance this was. In a just universe, Efron would have received an Oscar nomination, but it was not meant to be. In any event his physicality and the intensity of his wrestling scenes as great as they are (and they are spectacular) pale in comparison to the intimate dramatic moments peppered throughout the film. In some ways he’s the most tragic character of the entire movie as he has to watch travesty after travesty befall his brothers. You feel for Kevin’s plight and just want to give him a warm embrace. In the end he finds empathy and understanding from his own sons. “We’ll be your brothers Daddy” is a line and a moment that’s going to stick with me a long, long time.
If I had one major criticism of The Iron Claw, it’s with the scenes involving Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Ric Flair. They just do not work on any level, and he fails to capture the charm and intensity of The Nature Boy. It’s the one minor flaw in an otherwise diamond of a film.
The Iron Claw not only stands out as one of the best films of 2023, but it’s also one of the best family dramas of the last twenty-five years. Don’t be a jabroni. See this one as soon as possible.
1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad
2 Straight Garbage
3 Bad
4 Sub Par
5 Average
6 Ok
7 Good
8 Great
9 Excellent
10 A Must See
The Iron Claw: 9/10
