Movie Review: The Iron Claw
I am a massive wrestling nerd.
Have been since elementary school and due to some sort of pathology I never grew out of it. I follow WWE regularly as well as a few Japanese promotions. Thus I am a big fan of wrestling cinema. Mickey Rourke’s 2008 film The Wrestler remains the standard bearer for the niche genre. 2024’s The Iron Claw, while not quite as consistently good, gives it a run for its money.
The advantage The Iron Claw has is that it is based on an incredible true story. The Von Erich family are true wrestling royalty with a story so depressingly cursed it is hard to believe. Patriarch Fritz Von Erich was a top star in the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) and WCCW (World Class Championship Wrestling) promotions throughout the 1960’s. He had six sons, five of whom died tragically before him, three of them by suicide. The challenge of depicting this in film without it getting too repetitively depressing was apparently too great as the The Iron Claw cut out the story of Chris’s suicide, arguably the darkest narrative of them all.
The film does an excellent job in its first half of building up to the various tragedies. We get a real sense of the devotion the brothers have for one another. I loved just watching them hang out as it reminded me of my own childhood having older brothers. We see how their father, blinded by his own ambition, plants the seeds of their eventual destruction. The acting is top tier. Zac Efron deserves a lot of credit for his portrayal of older brother Kevin. It isn’t just that he looks fricking jacked as hell. It’s really just the quality of the acting — the quiet scenes highlighting his frustrations with his father Fritz and his disappointments.
The second half of the film does not feel as well paced in part because of just the reality of the true story. It is difficult to have a series of depressing deaths and suicides one after the other without it becoming repetitive and losing its power. It may have worked better if they had told the story out of chronological order in some Nolan-esque way. For its part The Iron Claw at least has a good mix of wrestling action and a behind the scenes look at the business. I appreciated the in ring work and solid direction and sound design.
However there are a few missteps here too. For one there are some awkward transitions. Kerry’s motorcycle accident and leg amputation are covered way too quickly to the extent that his alcoholism and the actual sequence of events are easy to miss. Secondly the Ric Flair rivalry, a substantial subplot, was ruined by the fact that the actor portraying the legendary Nature Boy was mediocre. Rick Flair is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and a personal favorite. I know many fans who can do a better impression than what we got here.
The Iron Claw ends really strong with two powerful scenes. In one we see the deceased brothers reuniting in the afterlife. It is a surprisingly explicit shift to a more religious tone yet it is deeply moving. In another scene we see Kevin watching his sons play football as he did with his father as a child and he weeps as he tells his children that he misses being a brother. Not gonna lie: that got me. It served as the payoff for telling the story from Kevin’s perspective and sums up all of the tragedy perfectly.
This movie probably benefits from some grade inflation from me just because I am invested in the subject matter. Your mileage may vary if you aren’t interested in wrestling. I would argue though that even if you are not a fan, you can appreciate the great acting. The bonds of family and the tragedies of frustrated ambition and premature death are things we can all understand. In that respect The Iron Claw is a timeless story. It is flawed but still memorable and powerful.
Grade: B+
