Director: Sean Durkin | Writer: Sean Durkin
Starring: Zac Efron, Holt McCallany, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White
A24 delivers one of the best and most subtle films of the year in The Iron Claw, a movie that will mess you up and have you dissecting the point long after you walk away. For some, it will watch as a true story, a sports movie about real athletes and the tragedies in their lives. For others, this will be a tale of abuse, neglect, destruction, and may not even go far enough in its responsibility to point out where all the blame should lay. Regardless, Iron Claw is a surprise blow that knocks the air right out of your stomach, leaving a hollow feeling that hurts much more than you thought it would.
This is the true story of the Von Erich brothers, a group of pro wrestlers in the 80s who followed in their father’s footsteps and became sports legends. But their triumphant successes were only made vivid as a reflection of their terrible tragedies, as the family attempted to live through a “curse”, a family flaw that saw bad things happen to good people. In the background was the Iron Claw himself, Fritz Von Erich, a stage name for a simple Texan whose abusive behavior and unrelenting drive broke his many sons. Watching his brothers fall one by one and attempting to break free of the cycle, Kevin Von Erich tried to hold onto his family while starting his own, a task made difficult by his father’s cold heart, his mother’s religious excuses, his brothers’ catastrophes, and a love for wrestling that had become a death trap.
It’s interesting; my wife saw this film as not going far enough, as not pointing a bolder finger at the father and calling out his abuse as the real curse to the family. On the other hand, I saw the story as Kevin’s story, his escape from the clutches of his father, the Iron Claw, not so subtly, and I thought the film did tell us what the real problem was without having to shout it out loud. She wanted more stark criticism, thinking that audiences might just see this as a sports story and not a cautionary tale. I see that, and I hope people can read between the lines, although, like I said, sometimes the film was not being subtle at all. Regardless, Iron Claw is a massive achievement, with a passionate story to tell and the right team brought together to tell it. Efron was excellent, almost a Mark Wahlberg style straight-man from The Fighter, where the movie is his story, yes, but the rest of the family is just as important, and the main actor isn’t really called on to be the main emotion; we often get that outside him during the film and that’s fine.
And then there’s Lily James, who is, of course, a goddess, and it basically perfect in everything. I don’t know how someone could watch her in a film and not give her all the awards; she’s always the most talented person in the cast. This film’s team was solid though, from the brothers to the parents, and the family worked together to tell a cohesive story, one of pressure and sadness, possibilities and defeats. Iron Claw is a film that sticks with you after it wallops you over the head, a real stunner of a movie that’s good as a genre flick and as pure drama. It shouldn’t be overlooked just because it’s about wrestling and stars Zac Efron; it may not be quite to the level of The Wrestler, but it’s not far off, and it’s better than a lot of films this year that may have Oscar potential but can’t compare when it comes to real heart.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆