Film Review — The Iron Claw
An outstanding central performance from Zac Efron anchors Sean Durkin’s fact-based drama about Texan wrestling family the Von Erichs
The Iron Claw is another film overlooked by the Academy Awards. This fact-based tale of famous Texas wrestling family the Von Erichs features a number of excellent performances, especially from an almost unrecognisably beefed-up Zac Efron as Kevin, the oldest of four brothers, and Holt McCallany as their patriarch father, Fritz. Writer-director Sean Durkin has crafted a solid, absorbing film achieving that most important of goals with sporting drama: Engaging people who have absolutely no interest in the sport in question (ie me).
The film opens with a monochrome flashback revealing how Fritz worked exceptionally hard to gain the wrestling world heavyweight title (including the use of his signature move, the titular Iron Claw), but was denied the chance. Consequently, he places that burden on the shoulders of his children. In an early scene at breakfast, Fritz gives a rundown of his favourite sons, in order, but reminds them “the rankings can always change”. When Kevin has concerns that their father is too hard on one of their brothers, he tries to involve his mother Doris (Maura Tierney), but she shrugs him off, insisting they work it out between them.
Thus, the family dynamics, with all their inherent Texan stoicism, are established. The brothers share a great bond, but also a rivalry for their father’s performance-based affections. Of the brothers, Kevin is the eldest, though we learn he once had an older brother who died. Of his remaining brothers, David (Harris Dickinson) also wants a shot at the title, with Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) also rejoining them in the ring, after his bid for discus Olympic glory falls through in the aftermath of America boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The final brother, Mike (Stanley Simons) is more interested in music, but inevitably also gets drawn into wrestling, amid his father’s fierce determination.
In the background of all this, there’s talk of a curse on the family in the aftermath of Fritz changing his surname name to Von Erich. This curse constantly plays on Kevin’s mind as various tragic events ensue throughout the 1980s amid the family’s triumphs, though his wife Pam Adkisson (Lily James) tries to reassure Kevin that it’s just bad luck. Still, it’s enough for Kevin to put a different surname on the birth certificate of his first son, Ross.
I knew nothing about this story going into the film, so afterwards opened Google to separate fact from fiction. Surprisingly, in real life, the story is even more outlandishly tragic, with one family member deliberately left out of the screenplay because, in the words of Durkin, “it was one more tragedy that the film couldn’t really withstand”. Perhaps there really was a curse on the Von Erichs, but either way, this is a powerful tale of dutiful sons desperately wanting to please a father who lives vicariously through them.
Like Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler (2008) this illustrates how although choreographed and theatrical, the injuries sustained in wrestling are far from fake. Although I consider wrestling ridiculous, Durkin’s great achievement here is enabling me to put that opinion entirely to one side. With strong performances, assured direction, and a compelling story, I’m left only with minor quibbles, such as the inevitable cliché use of here-are-the-real-people images over the end credits, and the occasional lazy montage.
In the end, this works because it’s a powerful family drama with an almost Shakespearean tragic arc. Obviously, this isn’t a gangster film, but I found myself reminded of The Godfather (1972) in some of the dynamics, with characters pulled back in when they want to be out, for instance. Then there’s a smidgen of Foxcatcher (2014) in the aching sadness inherent throughout. The final scene is particularly moving, again underlining Oscar’s oversight in omitting Efron from their nominations. This is worth seeing for his performance alone.
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