REVIEW: The Iron Claw soars as tragically as it can
Posted December 22, 2023 6:21 pm.
Wrestling is a unique art. It’s a mixture of performance and pain, cheesy acting and serious injury. The sport’s beginnings were nowhere near as popular as it has become nowadays, although it’s always had ardent fans. But one family made the art into a superstardom, and they sacrificed themselves in the process.
The Iron Claw is a biopic about that family, and their contributions to wrestling and kayfabe. Fritz Von Erich (played by Holt McCallany from Mindhunter) is a wrestler who couldn’t quite become a superstar, so he raised his sons to to do that instead. Kevin (played by Zac Efron from High School Musical) is the oldest, Kerry (played by Jeremy Allen White from the Bear) is the strongest, David (played by Harris Dickinson from Triangle of Sadness) plays the crowd the best, and Mike (played by Stanley Simons from Superior) is the youngest. The brothers love each other dearly, and they love wrestling almost as much. But many people think the family is cursed, and anybody that knows the story of the Von Erich family knows that’s a nice way of putting it.
Directed by Sean Durkin (the director behind the Nest and Martha Marcy May Marlene), this film creates a loving late 20th century setting for the family. The brothers’ bond is incredibly strong, exemplified excellently by the chemistry between the siblings. They’re all played brilliantly, but Efron at the film’s center is a high point.
His performance as Kevin Von Erich is the greatest performance of his career, both physically and emotionally. His muscles are popping and the wrestling choreography is spectacular, but what Efron excels at the most is navigating the intense emotions of his character. He plays a man who wants one thing, which is to be with his brothers. And as the story continues, he loses what he wants and the curse becomes a powerful hold over him. Efron’s eye muscles are just as strong as the ones on the rest of his body.
I sat down with Durkin who tells me that obviously Efron has the physical element down, but what the character of Kevin Von Erich also needed was a solitude of sweetness. “When I met him, I found out how kind and sweet he is as a person, which is really important to Kevin. The character of Kevin, because he’s quite a quiet character.”
But an actor needs compelling material to work with, and excellent actors alongside them. Durkin also wrote this screenplay, which follows this sort of descending narrative. Things do get better for the family, but always with a little cost. Things are always taken away from them, and they persevere until it becomes too much. The tension is depicted impeccably, making for a thrilling ride no matter how sad it gets.
And Efron’s fellow performers are all truly wonderful in the film as well. All of the brothers are fantastic, especially Jeremy Allen White who plays the highest highs and arguably the lowest lows. But the really spectacular performances come from McCallany, as well as Lily James (from Baby Driver) as Kevin’s wife Pam. They’re essentially opposite sides of the same coin. As the father, McCallany portrays a tough love. He’s hard on his kids, because he wants them to be the best despite how hard his training can hurt them.
As for James, she’s almost an open book of love for Kevin. She helps him open up the emotional side of himself, constantly offering a supporting hand throughout the tragedy. But where she really excels is when the tragedy starts to take a toll on her. It becomes clear she had been holding back for much of the film, and showing this interplay between restraint and letting loose is a spectacular performance from James.
The Iron Claw is a surprising late year contender for one of the year’s strongest films. It’s funny, beautiful, tear-jerking, and filled with a fantastic classic rock soundtrack to keep your head banging. The Iron Claw gets a 4.5/5, you can watch it in cinemas now and you can listen to my interview with Durkin below.
