The Iron Claw tells the story of the Von Erich family, a wrestling dynasty made up of 4 brothers. Kevin Von Erich played by Zac Efron (High school Musical, The Greatest Showman), Kerry Von Erich played by Jeremy Allen White (The Bear), David Von Erich played by Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness), Mike Von Erich played by Stanley Simons and the head of the family, the father Fritz Von Erich played by Holt Mcallany (MindHunter).
The story centres around the bond the brothers have, and the expectations set by their wrestling loving father. The film tackles a variety of themes throughout, but the main one being that of living up to a fathers expectations and the how to process the demons we create.
The film is amazing; from the cinematography, to the performances on screen, the wrestling feels so real and you really feel the intensity of the ring during the fights. Each of the brothers have really put the work in, to give a very convincing physical performance.
For me, the standouts have to be Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White. Gone is Troy Bolton, Efron in this film in unrecognisable. His acting ability, holding and commanding every scene he is in with a harrowing intensity. Efron delivers a career defining performance in this film, not just from his physical performance but from his emotional delivery in the more hard hitting scenes. I never thought Zac Efron would make me ugly cry in a cinema, but he’s done it. He also proves to be one of the best working actors we have currently, portraying the expectations set upon him as the eldest brother and the emotional and mental toll that it puts on an individual.
Whites performance as well, has that flair we have come to know so well, from his performance as Carmmy on The Bear, with his overall optimism shattered by the end of the film.
The pacing and direction given by Sean Durkin in this is fantastic. It grips you from start to finish, lingering on characters for slightly longer than you would like. To feel the emotion that is being portayed on the screen is amazing to see, I like how he tells a story and a story as tough and as harrowing as this one. I couldn’t think of a better person to be behind the camera for this film. The choice he makes towards the end of the movie for a particular scene, will have even the most stoic amongst you crying, due to the build of the bond these brothers have throughout the movie. This particular scene was one of the most beautiful I have seen in cinema for a long time.
The cast outside of Efron and White are fantastic as well, everyone is giving 100 percent to the characters they are portraying. The fact it is all based on true events makes their performances that much better. It’s an emotional ride through a world which we know very little about outside the glitz and glamour of the WWE, it’s a shame that this film may miss out of the Oscar buzz because it is truly an Oscar worthy film, with a Best Actor performance given by Zac Efron.
You need to see this film, one of the most harrowing and emotional sports films I have ever seen.
