Movie Review: The Iron Claw

The Iron Claw is a movie about the Von Erichs, a Texas family who became wrestling royalty throughout their time in professional wrestling in the 1980s. If this is the first you’ve ever heard of the Von Erichs, The Iron Claw will serve as an American sports tragedy. If you know who the Von Erichs are and know about their story, you’ll be rewarded with a gripping and tragic look at a cursed family and a dissection of brotherhood and toxic masculinity. Either way, you’ll be watching a powerhouse of a film.

My experience with the Von Erichs leans on the latter. I grew up watching wrestling and though the Von Erich’s reign was before my time of watching, I knew the name and had done my research about the family and what happened to them. Even knowing what was going to happen to this family and the liberties they took with the story (like completely omitting a whole brother, which director Sean Durkin has attributed to keeping the runtime tighter, reducing repetition, and for the sake of the audience’s hearts. Good move, in my opinion) The Iron Claw hit me like a ton of bricks that played like a real-life horror film bound by American ideals and brotherhood.

Led by their hardnosed father Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany), the Von Erichs are comprised of four brothers. There’s Kevin (Zac Efron), the oldest and one everyone, except his father, thinks has the best path to stardom, David (Harris Dickinson), who follows in Kevin’s footsteps only to show his skills on the mic and in the ring might boost him to the top before Kevin, Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), Fritz’s favorite (he ranks his children) who only gets in the ring after his bid for the Olympics gets withdrawn following the U.S. protest of the games in 1980, and Mike (Stanley Simmons), the runt of the group who has found decent success as the lead singer of an indie rock band and stays clear of the wrestling for as long as he can. Together, they take over wrestling in Texas and then the United States, but with tragic consequences along the way.

The title of the film refers to the iconic finishing move used by Fritz during his time in the ring but also refers to the grip he had on his sons and their way of life. He provided for his sons and wanted to help them reach superstardom, but only as far as he would let them. Fritz controlled every aspect of their being and refused to let them grow up and grow out of his shadow, suffocating them in every aspect of life. McCallany is tremendous as Fritz, portraying a man who will briefly show moments of love and care to his sons but mostly sees them as prized pigs. Their emotions and troubles don’t matter to the point where while at a funeral, Fritz tells his boys, “No tears” forcing them to keep everything inside and focus on the prize. All that matters to Fritz is that they are stars, and he will do anything to make that happen no matter the risk. The only one looking out for the boys is each other and you feel their bond and love for each other immediately. They may not always get along and some might be more successful than others, but you know they will defend and help each other no matter what.

Efron is the star of the show and gives the best performance of his career as Kevin Von Erich. We first meet the incredibly jacked Kevin rolling out of a twin-size bed in a pair of white underwear. It’s as if a giant child has rolled out of bed because that is exactly what Kevin is. Brainwashed by his father’s rule, Kevin doesn’t know anything in life besides wrestling and his brothers. His dream is to live on a farm with his brothers and his family. He spends all day training for his matches and thinking about his future as a wrestler to the point where he has no social life, which is why when Pam (Lily James, bursting with personality) comes into his life, he has no idea what to do or how to act.

Efron’s performance shines in the back half of the film, where everything gets dark, sad, and tragic in a hurry. Tragedy continues to strike the Von Erich family and while everyone wants to ignore it, Kevin is well-aware of it and starts to believe the family might be cursed. As the tragedies rise, he tries to do everything he can to avoid it, from changing his last name back to the name he was given at birth (Adkinsson), to leaving wrestling. But thanks to his father and the way he was brought up, Kevin does not know how to show these emotions or talk about them. Along with being a physically demanding performance, the greatness of Efron’s performance lies in his eternal struggle. You can see the pain and sadness Kevin is feeling in Efron’s eyes and shoulders. You can see he wants to speak up and say something to his father and his brothers, but he can’t conjure the words or thoughts. You feel the constant fear Kevin has, wondering if something bad was going to happen to him or Pam or their children or anyone else in their family. Efron commands the screen in one of the best performances of 2023.

The Iron Claw is an American tragedy rooted in toxic masculinity and brotherhood. Led by one of the best ensembles of the year, Durkin’s assured direction, and hard-hitting wrestling action, The Iron Claw reigns towards the top of 2023’s best movies.