Review of The Iron Claw, directed by Sean Durkin

Lately, when it comes to this blog, I’ve been writing a lot about procrastination. I’ve always been someone who relied on deadlines in order to get my work done, but when it comes to movies and books, it takes a long time for me to get around to something I really wanted to watch sometimes.

Anyways, I remember when The Iron Claw was coming out and there was so much hype for what it contained within its running time. There was so much praise for Zac Efron’s performance, and there were quite a few moans when he was snubbed at the Oscars according to the movie’s fans.

I didn’t watch the movie any time near when it came out. It was too cold out and I didn’t feel like going to my local AMC during an off hour, as their screening times weren’t the greatest throughout the time it was in theatres.

It was during a flight back to Korea that I finally sat and watched the movie. It was the only movie I watched during my eleven hour flight, which was shocking considering how much I love movies and would jump at the opportunity to watch them.

I don’t want to ramble too much in this introduction, so let’s get into the review!

The rise and fall of one prominent wrestling family.

This movie focuses on the Von Erich family, who were real people and some of are still alive at the time of typing this. The film begins in 1979, when the World Class Championship Wrestling Company is run by Fritz Von Erich, the patriarch of the family. He wanted to be a famous wrestler himself, but is now training his sons to achieve his dreams.

With his wife, he had five sons, but one, Jack Jr., died when he was a kid. Kevin is the Texas Heavyweight Champion, and he tells his wife about how there’s a family curse. That’s what he thinks killed his brother as a kid; the family thinks it comes from how Von Erich changed his name to his mother’s—the mother’s family had a lot of tragedies in it.

Kevin gets into the running for NWA World Heavy Champion after winning a match, albeit it was through disqualification, but their father is not happy with his performance. He trains the other brothers, and Kevin, Kerry, and David become a trio.

We pivot to 1983, where they take down the Fabulous Freebirds. A big match against Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair is coming home, and the father disappoints Kevin when he picks David to go up against him. David starts getting more attention because of that fight, but it comes with a major price.

Kevin decides to get married to his sweetheart Pam, and at the wedding David is noticeably ill. David heads to Japan, where he dies in his hotel room, much to the shock and grief of the family. The fight with Flair is coming up, and a coin toss decides that Kerry will go up and fight in their brother’s stead.

Kerry does win, but then he gets drunk and loses his foot in an accident that night. Kevin becomes weary of the curse and gives his son their actual family name, but then their father trains Mike, the one brother who shouldn’t be in the ring.

This is proven true when he gets a shoulder injury, then has toxic shock during the coma. He has brain damage from this affair, and loses his passion for the guitar as he can no longer play. This leads him to kill himself. Kevin is consumed by his grief, having lost two brothers now, and then he fights Flair and is disqualified.

Kerry tries to go back into wrestling with a new foot, but is frustrated by it. He does end up winning a championship after overcoming the odds. He also contemplates suicide, tells Kevin, and Kevin arrives just as Kerry does end up killing himself with the gun he gifted their father. As Kevin sits with the body, he imagines all of his brothers together.

Kevin, having been put in charge of the WCCW, sells the company. He breaks down watching his sons play together, and tells them that he misses his brothers. He plays with them. The movie ends with a title card saying the brothers got into the WWE Hall of Fame, and Pam and Kevin live with their kids and grandkids.

Overall Thoughts

I honestly had no idea what to expect from this movie, and while I knew nothing about the brothers or their story, this movie was like a punch to the gut by the end. It surely is not for the faint of heart, that’s something that should be made clear upfront.

It was more emotional that I expected, and some of the scenes and blocking were truly cinematic in nature. I was in awe in how they managed to make this story into one that unfolded like literature, or poetry, and the pure beauty in some of these shots.

Efron certainly was a standout in the film though. Everyone was really good in it, but as the main character he radiates regret, anger, and confidence when he needs to. This is surprising considering some of the other work I’ve seen him in lately.

Go watch this one if you haven’t already and want to!

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