Movie Review: ‘The Iron Claw’ is devastating yet beautiful

“Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the Von Erich brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.”

Wrestling isn’t necessarily something I’m familiar with, and aside from Ric Flair and the Ultimate Warrior, my knowledge of older wrestling is very little. So when sitting down for “The Iron Claw,” I didn’t have any clue who this family was other than they were the “greatest wrestling family of all time.” And honestly going in knowing nothing had me sobbing by the end of the film.

There is nothing “fun” about “The Iron Claw.” The film intentionally uplifts you just so it can drag you down. A simple formula, sure, but incredibly effective due to performances from an all-star cast led by Zac Efron (“High School Musical“).

For YEARS, I have been waiting for a film to give Zac Efron a chance to show off his acting chops, and as soon as I saw the first trailer for “The Iron Claw,” I knew this would be the one, boy did Efron deliver. The role of Kevin Von Erich not only required someone to be big and muscular, which Zac seemingly overachieved, but the role needed someone to teeter the line of being an always positive big brother while also being incredibly depressed, and again, Zac achieved this. Despite Zac’s enormous size, his performance never feels overacted, but in the moments where he needs to bring it, he brings it.

You also can’t talk about “The Iron Claw” without talking about the rest of the family. I don’t feel like this film works quite the same way without Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”) and Harrison Dickinson (“Where the Crawdads Sing”); they are both essential to this film. Being familiar with both actors and how talented they have both proven to be, I was worried one might put shine the rest. While they each get their time to shine, the casting was almost intentional. Jeremy and Harrison are both young actors just coming on the scene, seemingly taking the business by storm; this directly mirrors their characters, Kerry and David. The rest of the supporting cast delivers as well. There is not one weak link.

Other than the amazing performances, “The Iron Claw” is tame. There is no flashy directing or cinematography, which I don’t think the film needs. I appreciate the fact they honed in on the characters and the performances. However, there was one thing I thought was goofy in the movie: the Ric Flair character. Like I said, I am not a huge wrestling guy and don’t know all the history, BUT I am familiar with Ric Flair, and his portrayal in “The Iron Claw” just seemed off and goofy.

Overall, “The Iron Claw” is an intense look into the life of the Von Erich family that is driven entirely by the amazing performances. “The Iron Claw” is worth seeing for the performances alone; the incredible story is just the cherry on top.

Score for “The Iron Claw”: 4.5/5

“The Iron Claw” is rated R and hits theaters on Dec. 22, 2023. There are no post-credit scenes.