The Iron Claw

“Sons. Brothers. Champions.”

7.5

2023

2h 12m

HistoryDrama

Director: Sean Durkin

Overview

The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

Trailer

Official Trailer Official

Cast

Kevin Von Erich

Zac Efron

Kevin Von Erich

Kerry Von Erich

Jeremy Allen White

Kerry Von Erich

David Von Erich

Harris Dickinson

David Von Erich

Mike Von Erich

Stanley Simons

Mike Von Erich

Fritz Von Erich

Holt McCallany

Fritz Von Erich

Doris Von Erich

Maura Tierney

Doris Von Erich

Pam Adkisson

Lily James

Pam Adkisson

Bill Mercer

Michael Harney

Bill Mercer

Ric Flair

Aaron Dean Eisenberg

Ric Flair

Harley Race

Kevin Anton

Harley Race

Ring Announcer

Scott Innes

Ring Announcer

Bruiser Brody

Cazzey Louis Cereghino

Bruiser Brody

Reviews

Manuel São Bento

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-sean-durkins-the-iron-claw-turns-passion-into-obsession/ "The Iron Claw offers a compelling exploration of how strong passion can mutate into an unhealthy obsession and its impact on a legendary family, highly elevated by powerful, committed performances. Despite some questionable inaccuracies and omissions that punctuate the narrative, Sean Durkin is able to encourage reflection on the delicate balance between success and tragedy in pursuing a family legacy. Well-executed wrestling sequences bring some entertainment value to the big screen, but the profoundly sad story at the core of this film makes it an overall tough watch." Rating: B

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r96sk

<em>'The Iron Claw'</em> is quite the depressing watch! A lot of the story you can see coming from a decent ways away, even for someone like me who previously knew nothing about this family, but that only adds to the tinge of sadness that is present in the film from pretty much the get-go. The film does a grand job at making sure that events onscreen move along at a good pace, especially as some parts could've (but don't) felt repetitive if told differently. There's an excellent showing from Zac Efron in this, such a great performance from that man. I also appreciated Holt McCallany, as well as the likes of Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson. The Von Erich family are portrayed well, though it is a shame that I read that they left out brother Chris - I do get the reasoning as to why, but I feel like they should've found a way to at least acknowledge his existence. All things considered, though, this 2023 release is tremendous. Highly recommended.

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CinemaSerf

Oh well, looks like I might be in the minority here - but what is all the fuss about? A domineering patriarch (Holt McCallany) is determined that all four of his sons will succeed in a wrestling ring where he didn't. His sons "Kevin" (Zac Efron) and "David" (Harrison Dicksinson) are destined to work for a shot at the world title, "Kerry" (Jeremy Allen White) for Olympic glory and finally "Mike" (Stanley Simons) - the more creative, musically minded, one brings up the rear. President Jimmy Carter and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan puts paid to the Olympic ambitions and so now the three siblings can work together to climb the rankings in Texas and maybe earn a shot at the world title. Meantime, plastic Zac falls in love with Pam (Lily James) and it's at their wedding that Kevin discovers his dad's favourite (David) might not be doing so well. Tragedy ensues, indeed an whole slew of tragedies follow the Von Erich family as their dogged pursuit of glory causes the family to reel from one disaster to another - without anyone seeming to learn from it! Now as family dramas go, it's a sad story - no doubt about that. As a piece of cinema, it merely marries a fairly mediocre script with living proof that the spirit of method acting is alive and well. Certainly these men have put their bodies through the mill, and the fight scenes do impress - but none of the rest of it looks or feels real. Their characters are under-cooked, the dynamic between the boys and the parents, their mother (Maura Tierney) especially, is scarcely addressed and by the time we reach the historically accurate conclusion, I found myself completely devoid of sympathy or empathy for a family that had no grasp of what was important. There's a touching line at the end about brotherhood, but it was all just too little too late in a story of obsession and ambition that just didn't engage me at all.

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