By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Professional wrestling has its fair share of dramatic true stories, but this one is perhaps the most tragic of them all. “The Iron Claw” is inspired by the true story of the Von Erich family, who dominated the Texas professional wrestling scene. While there may be some key omissions in this tale, this is storytelling at its finest highlighted by brilliant acting performances that make this film a riveting watch.
Built to prominence by Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany), World Class Championship Wrestling was a source of pride for Texans during the late 70’s and 80’s. However, despite all his efforts to capture the NWA title belt, Fritz never realized his goal while he was a wrestler. As a domineering father, he pushed this dream onto his sons, enlisting all of them into the painful world of wrestling.
Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike Von Erich (Stanley Simons) all believed in their father’s dream, working tirelessly for his approval, and becoming strong wrestlers to break the Von Erich curse and bring glory home. Their love for wrestling is second only to their love for each other. When tragedy strikes this family time and time again, the curse takes on a life of its own, threatening to consume every one of the Von Erich family members.
This true story was no easy task for writer/director Sean Durkin, who had to make some difficult decisions about what to omit to condense this tragic tale into a two-hour film. For instance, there was actually another brother named Chris who died tragically by suicide and wasn’t depicted or even mentioned in the movie. This was likely the right decision to avoid an overly long runtime and keep the pacing running smoothly from start to finish. Yes, this makes the film stray from the truth and people familiar with this family’s story can pick it apart with all the mistakes depicted, but Durkin put his energy into creating a compelling story that focuses on the brothers’ relationships and the damaging relationships they shared with their father with wrestling as the backdrop. To this end, he succeeds with flying colors, gluing viewers to their seats with a film about love, mental health, and family dysfunction, rather than a film about wrestling.
While the sport may not be the focus, Durkin does an excellent job of filming it and capturing the essence of what professional wrestling looked like in the early 80’s. From the arena to the ring to the crowds to the costuming and hair, Durkin successfully harnesses the realism of that time, lending the film a sense of credibility. The cinematography and choreography of the in-ring action sequences are impressive and artfully done, only adding to this credibility.
This is the type of film that requires great acting, and that’s exactly what this cast provides. Starting with Zac Efron, who went through a dramatic body transformation for this role that makes him look almost unrecognizable. His impressive musculature is only overshadowed by his captivating performance. His portrayal of the older brother seems almost simplistic on the surface, playing the protector role, living by his father’s tenets while looking out for his brothers. It isn’t until about midway through the movie that the audience gets a true sense of the depth he’s giving his character, and as the movie progresses, his character goes through a series of transformations from believer in his father to believer in the family curse to realizing he holds the keys to his own destiny and has the power to pave a different path for his own family. This is easily Efron’s most complete performance to date.
Not to be outdone, Jeremy Allen White added 40 pounds of muscle himself for this role, citing Efron’s body transformation as his own motivation to push harder. With his already gifted acting talent as evidenced by his award-winning performances in TV series “Shameless” and “The Bear,” White delivers a dynamic performance as the more successful wrestling brother haunted by substance abuse and bouts of depression.
Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons also offer up solid performances as the other two brothers, displaying their own unique character flaws while maintaining a believable bond that really shows the love these brothers had for each other. In fact, the chemistry these four actors have on screen is so real and unforced, their camaraderie is natural and genuine, which deeply invests the audience in their stories. Veteran actor Holt McCallany is both detestable and understandable in his portrayal of the oppressively demanding father, representing not only the driving force of destructive competition between the brothers, but also the love and support they have for each other. If there was an Oscar for best ensemble cast, this film would certainly be a nominee.
Despite the many inaccuracies and omissions in the telling of this story, “The Iron Claw” is intriguing, sadly tragic, and insightful. The cast’s commitment and investment in their roles is admirable and makes the film a must see.
This movie earns:
