Welcome back to the blog readers. This is not something that I have spoken of on here yet, but I feel no shame in doing so now. I am a fan of professional wrestling, especially the WWE. I have since I was 14, even though I fell off for like 7 years or so, I am back on the train. When I heard that a film was being made about the legendary yet tragic Von Erich family, I knew I had to see it. Like Wonka, I did miss it before the cutoff date, so it will not be on either of my lists. Being a wrestling fan, would I enjoy myself at this film? Stick around to find out.
The Iron Claw was written and directed by Sean Durkin. The film stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, and Lily James, and tells the story of the Von Erich family of wrestling through the eyes of the only surviving son, Kevin, from their meteoric rise to their tragic downfall.
Once the film released, I did see the glowing reception the film was getting, and it made me even more excited to see the film. It did take me a bit to see the film, but I finally saw it. And holy shit. This film is utterly fantastic. The wrestling (although it is 80s wrestling) is high pace and thrilling, the character performances are fantastic, and the score is electric. And one other note: I have never cried at a film/series/video game/anything...until this film.
I have to talk about the powerhouse performance of Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich. This honestly might be right up there with Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. for the best performances of the year. First of all, he got absolutely jacked for the role, and he played it even better. The pain that Kevin feels, you can feel it, especially knowing that he is the primary protagonist of the film. If Efron is not one of the five names announced for Best Actor at the Oscars I will be very upset.
Jeremy Allen White is someone who has flown under my radar with his being involved with projects like Shameless (2011-21) and The Bear (2022-present), but he is definitely on my radar now. White absolutely shines as Kerry Von Erich, and absolutely sells his character's tragedies with a vigor and a fire that is hypnotic. I know it will not happen, but I would love to see him get a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards.
The final performance I want to talk about is that of Holt McCallany as Jack "Fritz Von Erich" Adkisson. McCallany brings a strength to the role that is definitely required to pull it off. He shines as the grueling and demanding Fritz Von Erich, and he is wildly successful at making the audience hate him and his character. I would definitely nominate him for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.
I love that the film elects to point out how idiotic the "wrestling is fake" crowd is with one line of dialogue. This shows up in the trailer so this isn't a spoiler, but the best line in the film (other than the one I will talk about later) is when Kevin tells his future wife Pam that "there's nothing fake about what we do." And he is absolutely right on that front. These wrestlers are legitimately putting their bodies on the line every night to entertain the audience, even though the outcome is predetermined. I'm just glad that point was addressed in the film.
The final thing I want to talk about is the themes of the film. The film tells a story about love and family that is honestly tragic and heartbreaking. Yes, this family has been littered with tragedy and pain, but the film tells us to not take the relationships we have for granted because we never know when it could be taken from us. That is the crux of the story (or the curse) of the Von Erich family, and it is one that legitimately brought tears to my eye. I still get watery-eyed when Kevin tells his kids "I used to be a brother, but I'm not one anymore."
To conclude my thoughts, The Iron Claw is a fantastic film about family that is anchored by Oscar-worthy performances and thrilling wrestling. Thank you all for reading, and please see this film. You will not be dry-eyed by the end.
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