The Iron Claw Review: The Texas-Sized Von Erich Tragedy Told With Blood, Sweat, And Heart
This review contains spoilers for "The Iron Claw."
The world of professional wrestling is filled with enough tragedy to constitute its own dedicated documentary series about it, but there has never been a story of familial annihilation quite like the Von Erichs. Often compared to the Kennedy family, the Von Erichs were/are a dynasty of wrestling superstars and the subject of unimaginable despair. Telling their story outside of a documentary setting seems an impossible task, but Sean Durkin ("Martha Marcy May Marlene," "The Nest") has done the impossible with "The Iron Claw." While marketed as a biopic, "The Iron Claw" is more like a dramatic retelling of the Von Erich story — a legend retold blow by blow and presented as if it were modern folklore. And yet despite the creative liberties taken — including a glaring omission (more on that later) — "The Iron Claw" is the type of drama that makes a home in the darkest recesses of your brain while simultaneously reminding your heart to keep going.
Zac Efron delivers the heavyweight performance of his career
Sibling groups tend to exist in unspoken hierarchies, but Fritz Von Erich has no problem telling his sons, to their faces, "Kerry's my favorite, then Kev, then David, then Mike, but the rankings can always change." As second in line, this turns Kevin into the defacto second-father figure of the group. He's high enough in the rankings to have a leadership role, but not high enough up that he receives preferential treatment. As a former teen idol, Zac Efron has spent the last decade trying to shake off the "High School Musical" association that so many viewers refuse to separate him from, and "The Iron Claw" should certainly do the trick.
As the beating, bleeding heart of the film, he is every bit as captivating as the real Kevin Von Erich. There's a vulnerability beneath his perfectly chiseled body (and questionable wig) and a warmth that exists even in the film's coldest sorrows. It's career-best work for Efron, who manages to awe with his feats of physicality one moment and exude the innocence of a man who was sheltered from the average coming-of-age milestones in favor of wrestling performance the next. Some of his strongest moments are when he's being courted by Lily James' Pam, the woman who would eventually become his wife who essentially has to teach him how to go on dates and be a partner. It's very clear from the physical transformation to the emotional susceptibility on display that Efron is operating on another level here. The fact that he was given the seal of approval from the real Kevin Von Erich speaks volumes.
The Iron Claw loves wrestling
Hollywood has never quite understood how to depict wrestling on screen. Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" pretends exploitation and embarrassment are the same as empathy, "Fighting with My Family," while delightful, has an unmistakable WWE-approved gloss to it all, and let's not even open the Pandora's box of "Ready to Rumble." Fortunately, "The Iron Claw" loves wrestling, and the lifelong fandom of director Sean Durkin is a testament to that love. Wrestling was this family's life, and Durkin has no interest in playing it tongue-in-cheek to appease the "you know it's fake, right?" crowd that has been badgering fans with the same tired talking point for over 50 years. Either you get on board with the fact that wrestling might as well be a religion for this family and those who love them, or you can get thrown out of the ring.
And the wrestling scenes themselves are masterfully shot. Choreographed by Chavo Guerrero Jr. (who also trained Efron and served a similar role on Netflix's "GLOW"), the wrestling matches feel as exciting as if you were right there in the arena. The audience's energy is electric, and the commitment from all involved is palpable. There will be some wrestling marks disappointed that the film is not about wrestling and therefore doesn't care about the Lance Von Erich controversy or the in-ring rivalries, but there are documentaries for that sort of thing. Whether you watch wrestling multiple times a week (like me), haven't watched a single match since the 1990s, or couldn't tell the difference between a suplex and a superkick, the action will pull you in and make a believer in you.
The Iron Claw loves brotherhood
Efron is the stand-out performance, but he is nestled by brilliance from Jeremy Allen White (Kerry Von Erich), Harris Dickinson (David Von Erich), Stanley Simons (Mike Von Erich), Holt McCallany (patriarch Fritz Von Erich), and a breathtaking Maura Tierney (mother Doris Von Erich). Ask any wrestling fan worth their salt and they'll tell you that Fritz Von Erich is one of the industry's greatest villains, both in and out of the ring. While "The Iron Claw" rightfully presents him as the hardass human embodiment of overbearing fatherhood and toxic masculinity that he was, it's the unflinching love that the boys had for him that is a sight to behold. The film never makes apologies for Fritz's downright abusive treatment but begs the audience to understand that to his sons, he was still their hero. It's not about refusing to punish him, it's about seeing him through their eyes.
But those boys ... those Von Erich boys. In the same way that all of Dallas, Texas treated those boys like prodigal sons, so too does "The Iron Claw." Efron and White are understandably fantastic, but Dickinson's performance as David (my personal favorite Von Erich) is a star-making turn, and relative newcomer Stanley Simons' portrayal of Mike provides the necessary sweetness to the story's requisite bleakness. Whenever the boys are together, absent of their father or the wrestling ring, "The Iron Claw" borders on masterful. The film is told from the perspective of Kevin, but this is a story about brothers. Whether they're playing football or sneaking away to a college party for a little taste of normalcy, "The Iron Claw" is at its best when the brothers are at the center.
A Chris Von Erich-sized hole
For those unaware of the real-life Von Erich family history, understand that "The Iron Claw" is not a biopic, as another brother, Chris Von Erich, was completely omitted from the film. The youngest of the second generation of the Von Erich family, Chris was constantly in the professional shadow of his brothers. He was barely 5'5" tall, he had severe asthma, and he developed brittle bone disease from the prednisone he took for his lung issues. When the family business is putting your body on the line for the entertainment of others, being in anything less than peak physical condition would be a detriment. After the passing of David and Mike, Chris was pushed to be a wrestler. He sustained a broken arm after a match and became suicidal. He died in 1991 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was found by his brother, Kevin.
Durkin has stated that he chose to omit Chris for time and many have speculated that including yet another death in this family would have been too much for general audiences to process. And I get it. If it wasn't because we know with factual evidence that this one family went through all of this, it sounds like an impossibility. But omitting Chris, in a film that cares so much about the brotherhood of not just the Von Erich boys, but the real-life Adkisson boys, is an additional tragedy.
At the same time, it would be foolish to think that this wasn't also approved by Kevin Von Erich himself, and it's no one's job to dictate the level of comfort a person has about the way their family story is depicted. "The Dark Side of the Ring" episode "The Last of the Von Erichs" provides a more accurate chronology, and should be mandatory companion viewing with this film.
Catharsis for Kevin Von Erich
Had "The Iron Claw" not positioned itself as a biopic, the exclusion of Chris Von Erich wouldn't feel so egregious, as the rest of the film is deeply respectful of their lives. This is a film that refuses to revel in the shocking catastrophes that befell this family, and wants the world to remember the Von Erich boys as they once were; dedicated brothers, mountains of muscle, complicated vessels of masculinity, and one of the closest things we've ever had to American-made superheroes. For a family that has often been relegated to tabloid fodder in the years following Kerry Von Erich's death, seeing a film that is more interested in centering on the love they had for one another above all else is refreshing.
In what is arguably the most devastating line of the entire film, Kevin cries to his sons, "Now I'm not even a brother." The emotional gut-punch strikes twice as hard when you know that this is a modification of the real Kevin Von Erich's famous statement, "I used to have five brothers, now I'm not even a brother." I could say this is a film for wrestling fans, a drama depicting a real-life Shakespearean tragedy, or for people who simply want to have conflicting feelings about thirsting after Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White, but none of that would be true. This is a movie that gives much-deserved catharsis to the real Kevin Von Erich, the sole survivor of the decimated dreams of a father for his sons.
"The Iron Claw" is an emotionally eviscerating watch anchored by one of the best ensemble casts of the year. For a film centered on an industry that only succeeds if you buy into the larger-than-life performances, the intimate portrait of a family becoming synonymous with nightmarish vicissitude is enough to work you into a shoot.
/Film Rating: 8.5 out of 10