Movie Review: The Iron Claw (2023)
Original Watch Date: January 12, 2024
“You may not believe in the concept of ‘curses,’ but after watching The Iron Claw, you may change your perspective…”
Synopsis
The Iron Claw tells the gritty, tragic story of the Von Erich family, a wrestling dynasty famed in the ring but haunted by a string of personal tragedies. Zac Efron (Baywatch) stars as Kevin Von Erich, the surviving member who faces an unrelenting sequence of hardships. Through triumph and despair, this film paints a vivid picture of one family’s struggle with fame, fate, and the toll wrestling takes on their lives.
How did we get here?
Directed by Sean Durkin (Dead Ringers), The Iron Claw is a biographical drama rooted in the real-life saga of the Von Erich wrestling family. Known for their iconic moves and larger-than-life personas, the Von Erichs’ influence on professional wrestling is legendary, but their legacy is marked by loss and sorrow. This adaptation explores not just the wrestling side of the Von Erichs, but the family’s human story, offering viewers a raw look behind outside of the ring. Currently, The Iron Claw can be streamed Max.
Spoiler-Free Review and Verdict
The Iron Claw is a powerful watch. It’s gripping, honest, and surprisingly funny at times, giving glimpses into the camaraderie of the Von Erichs amidst a bleak backdrop. Efron delivers a standout performance as Kevin, grounding the film in a mix of resilience and vulnerability. While the movie’s moments of levity provide only a brief relief, the overall narrative is heart-wrenching, capturing the endless tragedies that befall the family. The cinematography and pacing allow viewers to feel each emotional blow, creating an experience that stays with you long after the credits roll. All and all an outstanding portrayal of family, legacy, and resilience in the face of constant loss.
Verdict: 9/10
Review and Analysis (Spoilers)
The film delves deeply into the lives of the Von Erich family, but especially Kevin, the last of the Von Erichs to survive the family’s curse. The family’s tragedies start with the untimely death of Kevin’s youngest brother during childhood, but this occurs offscreen and serves as exposition for Kevin to explain his family’s curse to his love interest in the film played by Lily James (Baby Driver). Efron embodies Kevin's emotional burden, showing how the public perception of a strong, larger-than-life wrestler clashes with his private, intense grief.
The film is uncomfortable at times because Kevin as our protagonist doesn’t appear to get a second to breathe. Wrestling is taking a toll on his body, his whole goal in life throughout the film is to win the NWA Title and put his family’s dwindling wrestling card on the map, and to make his father proud, all while struggling to accomplish this as his brothers begin to over shadow him in his pursuits.
And just as it appears one of the Von Erichs is going to take that next step, the curse hits in varying tragic ways. Each loss is a crushing blow, but the film’s pacing and cinematography are designed to allow audiences to breathe with the characters, absorbing the pain and fleeting moments of joy in their lives. The brutal realities of wrestling—the injuries, rivalries, and pressures of fame—add another layer, showing how Kevin’s world was torn between his love for wrestling and the personal cost it demanded.
Despite its dark themes, The Iron Claw manages to capture moments of brotherhood and fleeting happiness, making each loss hit harder. The brothers only have each other throughout the film and, in the end Kevin sits alone. This raw portrayal of resilience and the burden of surviving in the wake of tragedy is what sets this film apart, creating an unforgettable journey through the rise and fall of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty.
Final Thoughts and Recommendation
I really loved this movie. I loved the performances, especially from Efron and Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) who plays Kevin’s brother Kerry. Both of these men are hardly recognizable as they put on some serious muscle for the film. But as I alluded to above, this film broke me down in a way I didn’t think it would. I was ready for the tragedy, but I wasn’t ready for how lonely Kevin is made to feel from the beginning of the film until the end.
There’s a pecking order amongst the Von Erichs all set in place by the family’s patriarch Fritz, played by Holt McCallany (Mindhunter), and he doesn’t mince words regarding who his favorite sons are. He’s also quick to toss Kevin aside once his brothers are more adept at cutting promos than Kevin is. But the trope I am used to seeing in movies is that when the father is heartless, the mother is there to provide comfort to the lonely and the hurt. That’s not the case in The Iron Claw. The Von Erich mother is just as cold as Fritz throughout the film leaving you with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness for Kevin and his brothers during the never-ending decline of the family. The mother, played by Maura Tierney (Liar Liar) refuses to intervene when Kevin tells his mom that Fritz picks on his younger brother Mikey too much, and as she continues losing sons throughout the film, all she can do is put on a strong face and stand by Fritz.
The scene that made utter an audible yelp of pain was at the end of the film. After Kerry shoots himself at the Von Erich’s ranch, Kevin finally comes to blows with his father, nearly strangling him to death, since Fritz failed to heed Kevin’s warning that something wasn’t right with Kerry after a call the night before. But Kevin’s pain from this movie is finally over. He ends up selling his family’s wrestling promotion and cuts ties from that existence that caused him so much anguish throughout his life. As he sits watching his own sons (whom he re-named “Adkinson” to avoid the Von Erich curse) he quietly weeps to himself clearly reminiscing of his brothers, the only support he had and who are now all gone. He apologizes to sons saying, “a man doesn’t cry,” still indoctrinated by his hyper-masculine upbringing. But his boys correct him by saying that “it’s okay, dad. You can cry. Everyone cries.” And if that doesn’t create a hitch in your throat, the next lines will.
When the boys ask him why he’s sad, Kevin responds, “because I used to be a brother, and I’m not a brother anymore.” Without a second thought, Kevin’s son responds, “Oh, well. We’ll be your brothers, dad.” My heart! Having two boys myself made this scene hit harder than it had any right to. I’m sure my sister was embarrassed sitting next to me as her big brother wiped tears from his eyes, but damn this movie hurt.
I don’t know if I will watch this one a second time. There’s so much I love about this film, but to suffer along with Kevin from beginning to end doesn’t feel like something I’d be willing to put myself through again. However, this is A24 at its best, and I must recommend this movie as a must watch for any wrestling fans and for those who just want to feel something.
