I must confess my potential biases at the start and declare that I’m a bit of a wrestling fan. I watched it when I was a kid, but fell out of it for a while. Eventually in around 2018 I started watching Japanese wrestling, including the Wrestle Kingdom pay per view with my brother. It started at about 3:00am local time and ended just in time for me to bid my father a good morning as I crawled into bed at about 9:00am when the show was over. I haven’t looked back since and when I heard about The Iron Claw I was excited to see my passion for movies and wrestling come together on the big screen. Is it worth a watch for wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike? Let’s talk about it!
My Thoughts
For anyone unfamiliar, this movie chronicles the heartbreaking tale of the Von Erich family.
It also has quite the cast, including Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich and Maura Tierney as Doris Von Eirch, the patriarch and matriarch of the Von Erich family. Zac Efron plays the eldest living son Kevin Von Erich, while Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons play Kerry, David, and Mike Von Erich, Kevin’s brothers.
Not featured though is Chris Von Erich who was unfortunately cut from the movie. Chris’ story is no less important though and I do encourage you to look him up after you’ve seen the film. I understand why it had to be cut and frankly including him could make the movie feel more unbelievable than it is but I promise you the full story is somehow even more heartbreaking than what you’ll see here.
I have to start this off though by discussing Zac Efron. The term gets thrown around a bit and maybe you’ve seen more of his work than I have, but he was an absolute revelation to me in this movie. I had my perceptions about him knowing very little of his filmography beyond the High School Musical stuff which I never have actually seen, but whatever I thought he was going to do in this movie was way off base. The same goes for Jeremy Allen White, who plays Kerry. I’m most familiar with White as Carmen Berzatto from The Bear (which you can watch on Disney+ right now and I highly recommend that you do) and comparatively Kerry is a bit more reserved as a character but battles some significant inner demons too.
Holt McCallany as Fritz was absolutely phenomenal in this too. A different breed from a different generation, Holt is so cold and commanding as Fritz but he also adds something else with his performance that allows you to understand why his sons want to work so hard to make him happy. Maura Tierney as Doris doesn’t get as much to do as the rest of the cast, but she makes the most of the time she’s given and does so much storytelling with just her reactions.
As a whole, this movie really works. I was worried going in that my familiarity with the story would perhaps lessen the impact the movie had on me. I think it’s a testament to just how good the movie was that despite knowing all the twists and turns before they happened, I was still captivated by what I was watching. By the end of the movie I was an emotional wreck, thinking about everything I just watched, but about my own family and my own brother too.
It’s even harder to comprehend when you learn about other things that the movie left out, including the fate of Chris Von Erich. We often hear about movies that exaggerate the truth, but this movie actually had to hold back some details because if they included them audiences might find the story too unreal to believe.
The commitment by the cast and crew is apparent on the screen, from the beautiful shots, to the work the cast (especially Efron) put into the wrestling sequences.
Even if you’re not a fan of wrestling, you’ll still find a lot here to enjoy. While this movie is about a family of wrestlers, it’s much more about their personal lives and not just the wrestling. In fact, one thing that could have made this movie a bit better was more wrestling sequences, including one of the more important matches for the Von Erich family that we only get to see glimpses of on TV.
I’m a little bummed out by the super late release date for this one because I genuinely think there is greatness in this movie that would be getting more buzz and attention if it came out earlier in the Oscar movie release cycle.
Verdict
This is an easy and enthusiastic recommendation from me. It has all the things you’d expect from a “prestige picture” with captivating and transformative performances, but it’s a story that I don’t expect most people today to be aware of. The tale of the Von Erich family is one stuffed with heartache but through all of these lows I was left feeling grateful for my family and especially for my brother.
At its core, this movie is a reminder to cherish the time you have with the people you love. Whether it’s a text, a call, or a visit, you won’t regret time spent with a loved one. It’s only after they’re gone that you realize just how precious that time is. So hug your people (and go see The Iron Claw)!
Adriana Wiszniewska