Title: The Iron Claw
Year: 2023
Director: Sean Durkin
Country: US
Language: English
I have been a fan of wrestling since the "Attitude Era" of the late 90's, when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin & The Rock were main evening Pay Per Views. Throughout my decades of fandom, I've dived through wrestling history. One wrestler that had intrigued me was Kevin Von Erich, due to the so-called "Von Erich Curse". It's a remarkable story that surprisingly was made into a full-length motion picture.
The Iron Claw is true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.
Director Sean Durkin crafts a film that explores one man's toxic obsession with the American Dream, and how his domineering mindset destroys his family. Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) refuses to see the humanity in his sons David, Mike, Kevin and Kerry. Instead he sees them of reflections of himself, and of his desire to be the strongest, fastest and toughest.
Unfilled expectations in a "father knows best" atmosphere lead to great tragedy. Durkin's writing highlights an aching family trauma brought on by single-minded ambition. The cinematography does a great job at highlighting the claustrophobia of the Von Eric's situation. The wrestling choreography is well done. The acting is outstanding. Zac Efron is completely transformed; donning the figure of a Greek God. Efron went above and beyond with his character.
The Iron Claw often sacrifices character development in favor of covering historical ground. We spend most of our time on the surviving brother, Kevin Von Erich, but we hardly get to know the rest. Chris Von Erich is missing completely. The Hollywood-ized ending is a bit off putting considering the tone throughout the majority of the picture. It's a decent film, but The Oscars were right to snub it.
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