It’s here that I should warn you that if you don’t know the story of the Von Erichs, don’t do any research before seeing The Iron Claw. The heart of this tale comes in how the tragic story of this family plays out with the world of wrestling overlaid on top.
That said, The Iron Claw is a heartbreaking story about brothers. Kevin Von Erich is the main throughline. His life was all about family and the joy and security he felt knowing his brothers were around. Zac Efron was the right guy to play Kevin. Of the brothers, Kevin was the quietest, and it’s hard to play quiet and low energy in a film, especially as the lead. Writer/director Sean Durkin brilliantly brings the energy to Kevin through his interactions with his father, brother, Pam, and wrestling. Efron’s performance is how he reacts to what is happening around him, which leads to the most heartbreaking moment at the end.
Everyone in the cast gives performances of a lifetime. The standouts are Jeremy Allen White as Kerry and Holt McCallany as Fritz. Both portray larger-than-life personalities and never let their “wrestler” personas ever bleed into the real Kerry and Fritz.
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“His life was all about family and the joy and security he felt knowing his brothers were around.”
As a lifelong wrestling fan, the actual wrestling in the film is exceptional, even though you know Efron and White are wrestling only for this film. Chavo Guerrero Jr. has made a post-WWE career turning actors into wrestlers, and for good reason. Any complaints about the wrestling in The Iron Claw are minor.
There are a lot of nods to the territory wrestlers of old. The standout performance of the film is Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Ric Flair. The scenes with Eisenberg feel most like the behind-the-scenes of wrestling. If you know anything about Ric Flair, Eisenberg is about as good as it gets without doing an actual impersonation of Flair.
The Iron Claw is one of the best movies of the year, and I’m afraid it is going to get passed over this award season and undeservedly so. Like Godzilla Minus One, The Iron Claw succeeds because of the human story being told. If you’ve ever lost a close family member, bring tissues, but also find hope in the fact that life can move on.
"…one of the best movies of the year..."
