The Iron Claw – Film Review Friday

We can throw ourselves into the belly of the beast and work ourselves to the bone to achieve our goals, but it’s all about a healthy balance. Sometimes you’ll find people who believe the way is more play and less work, sometimes you’ll find people who believe the opposite: That there’s no other way to live other than to work until what you want is right in front of you. At times such as those, there’s no better comfort than daily, knowing the people that love you will protect you if you let them, care for you if you let them, save you if you let them.

‘The Iron Claw’ is a film based on the Von Erich brothers, an infamous family in the world of wrestling, most famous for the patriarch, Fritz Von Erich’s signature move for which the film is named after, a claw move directed at the opponent’s face to inflict pressure. The tale of the Von Erich’s was of tragic ambition and misplaced encouragement, as Fritz clearly lived through his sons in the hope that they could accomplish what he never did: achieving the title of world champion of wrestling.

The film details the story of Fritz, Kerry, David and Micheal through the perspective of Kevin, the surviving member of the brothers. Kerry and David push themselves to the limit to earn the shot at a world heavyweight title match, sustaining critical injuries to their father’s shrugs. As the brothers are put under emotional pressure, driven not only to the world title but their father’s King Learian love, they soon find themselves fighting each other and sacrificing their very lives. As tragedy after tragedy befalls the Von Erich family, Kevin comes to startling revelations about the family dynamic and attempts to redefine what it means to be a brother, son and father.

Zac Efron plays Kevin Von Erich, the surviving brother, and after seeing this film, I wait anxiously for his next dramatic performance. After starring in comedy after musical after comedy, with ‘The Iron Claw’, Efron shows off his dramatic chops like never before, it’s only a shame that his greatest moments are towards the end of the film. Jeremy Allen White plays Kerry, the Olympic contender with no Olympics to attend, forcing him into wrestling. Unfortunately, White doesn’t feel as if he’s in the film for very long, but that doesn’t stop him from performing a true tour-de-force of repressed rage and angst, which makes his appearances feel all the more wasted. We get time to explore each of the brother’s tragedies, but with White, it feels like scenes were removed for a director’s cut. There just simply isn’t enough of him. Stanley Simons plays Micheal, the musician of the family, who, like the rest, is emotionally prodded into wrestling by their father. Simons is a delight, he brightens up every scene he’s in, becoming the most charming of all the cast, which makes his character’s downfall the most painful. Harris Dickinson plays David, the brother who earned the title match and unfortunately, with his performance, I don’t have much to stick around for. There’s only one major scene with him alone with Efron and the dialogue doesn’t lend much to Shakespeare, he acts adequately, but the script lets him down a bit. Lastly, Holt McCalleny plays Fritz in a perfect villain performance. With Holt as Fritz, you see his character as the totalitarian of the family, no remorse, no accountability. When Holt speaks, it’s like a meeting with Stalin, you don’t know what will happen, but you know he is always in control.

Mason’s Top 3 Reasons To Watch ‘The Iron Claw’

1. A career-shifting performance by Efron that rivals his portrayal of Troy Bolton
2. An important reminder to never push ourselves beyond our mental or physical limit
3. Characters so damn lovable you hold on to dear life that they succeed

Image Credit: A24