by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
Can you hear that? That beautiful electronica melding perfectly with progressive rock? That sweet symphony of music that sparks a fire in your gut, energizing you for what’s to come? By god, that’s “Tom Sawyer”! That’s Kerry Von Erich’s music! The Modern Day Warrior! The Texas Tornado! He’s here! Coming down to the ring with the entire Von Erich Family stable! Oh, man, and it certainly looks like they mean business…
Damn, do I ever miss ‘70s and ‘80s wrestling. But you know what? It’s okay! Because with The Iron Claw, we can relive these glory days. But this movie is so much more than just the glory days of wrestling. It is a harrowing and moving story about the cascading tragedies that befell the Von Erich wrestling family. As a wrestling fan, I set my personal bar for this movie pretty high. Astoundingly, it easily hurdled that top rope, and still left off the turnbuckle. The Iron Claw is truly one of the best films of the year.
I don’t want to give away too much about this movie, because it’s the harshness of the true story that makes it so compelling. Just know that it is a film about a real family that devoted their lives to professional wrestling. It’s about the different forms of abuse you can face from parental figures, about the toll of overwhelming and inescapable pressure, how to process grief and trauma, and how to find hope in the darkest of times.
This film is both fascinating as a wrestling biopic, but haunting as a destructive drama. It captures the business of wrestling and its history so well. From a visual and entertainment perspective, we get to see the mic work, the incredible athleticism, the promo shoot banter — it’s all here. But from an expositional perspective, it’s arguably even more impressive in the way the film is structured. It gives you all of the relevant information in the first act so that you can rest easy and enjoy the remainder of the film without confusion or burden. The wrestling lingo, the promotions, the names, none of it will feel overwhelming to newcomers, while simultaneously working to satisfy the wrestling diehards. So much of this credit has to go to writer/director Sean Durkin. His understanding of pacing and sports framing is terrific. He understands the sport and how to film the action for the most brutal impact in telling this tragic story.
But it’s the film’s deep dive into that aforementioned cascading familial trauma that really takes center stage. It examines the fraternal bond of brotherhood arguably better than any other film you’ve ever seen, as the brothers in this family continually, and ever more reliantly, turn inward to support each other as the rest of the world bears down around them. It reads as both uplifting and dour, as these men wrestle not just each other in and out of the ring, but their parents and themselves as well. It’s insane, unfair even, the distinct amount of emotional abuse that’s on display within this family as abusive parental pressure tears everyone apart. Even I, who knows the true story behind the Von Erich wrestling family, wasn’t fully prepared for this film’s emotional havoc. And if you don’t know what’s coming? Good luck. In fact, what’s really crazy is that the real story is even worse than what we see here in this movie, which intentionally keeps elements out because it would’ve felt too unbelievable to have every single detail in the film. What the real Kevin Von Erich experienced in real life is nothing short of unrelenting tragedy.
The Von Erich Family is terrifically portrayed as well. All of these performances rise to the occasion. Zac Efron gives the performance of his career. It’s something we knew he had in him all along, but now it’s finally come to the surface. He committed his entire body and soul to this, and it shows. From his wrestling performance in the ring, to his confrontations with emotional distress, and so much more. The pathos he exudes is powerful, and it’s great to see him transcend to this level. He feels like the perfect choice for Kevin Von Erich, the brother at the center of our story. The anchor to this family’s humanity as it drowns in pain. I hope this opens up many more doors for him.
It’s great seeing Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson absolutely crushing it, too. Dickinson embodies the child teetering on the edge, constantly seeking parental approval, but unaware of his own limitations and how much damage he’s doing to himself. White is the tortured talent, plagued by guilt and remorse, unable to escape the familial shadows all around him. Holt McCallany is vile and despicable in the exact way that the movie needs him to be. We buy into his rule as head of the house, and never question how he emotionally manipulated his family in the slightest. Even Maura Tierney gives a subtle performance based on repression and being silenced for so long, yearning for faith to help her escape what she no longer feels she’s capable of affecting herself.
But the silver lining, the saving grace, is love. As cheesy as it sounds. It’s love, acceptance, tenderness, and hope. And all of that is embodied in Lily James’ turn as Pam, Kevin’s wife. It’s her compassion that show’s Kevin another path. Though the ending of this movie might feel a bit disingenuous to some, as it aims to bring light into a world drowning in darkness, I would argue that it’s that very light that’s so desperately needed. To remind us all that there is a better possibility, a better world, out there. We just have to surround ourselves with the right people to help guide us to it.
The wrestling, the drama, and the performances in this film all coalesce into one amazing work of art that people need to see. The Iron Claw is a powerful and emotional journey that’s worth your time, and your tears. I know it was worth mine.
Loved it
The Iron Claw is currently playing in theaters
You can read more from Heath Lynch, and follow him on Letterboxd