Growing up in Texas, in the 80s, it was hard NOT to know who the Von Erichs were. They wrestling royalty; to see them in public meant bragging rights among your friends. We would fill up on Pizza Hut Pizza, just so we could get the posters. A Von Erich picture on the cover of a wrestling magazine meant that it would be sold out.
And for me - it was a special bond I had with my Grandfather; he had seen Fritz wrestle back in the day, in Canada. (Mom made my grandfather promise NOT to tell me stories about how "bad Fritz was". Especially given how the Father was the Heel, while the boys were Golden). When my grandfather would come to visit every X-mas, we would have a stack of wrestling tapes ready for him to watch. (I would record the episodes on the weekends, then edit out the ads, so it was 45-60 minutes of pure wrestling). As Mom said "It keeps him entertained, he gets his wrestling fix, and he isnt getting in my hair, or upset your father by fixing things around the house".
So, when the opportunity to be part of test audience for the film came up during the summer, I volunteered and was chosen.
It took a few minutes to accept Efron as Kevin (who was my favorite and an idol of mine), and I just didnt see Allen White at Kerry, but man, did they score BIG with Dickinson as David Von Erich. (Later, when we actually saw Kerry on the screen, and how he had many of the same body language and mannerisms as Kerry, all doubt was cast aside). Even knowing what was in store for the family, it still had the gut punch when David dies, Michael commits suicide, and Kerry looses his foot and would commit suicide. I was told Kerry only lost part of his foot- not the whole foot and part of the leg .
There were a few things that I felt were wrong with the film - the main one being the exclusion of Chris Von Erich from the story line. But, leaving the theater, I felt I had seen next year Oscar buzz worthy film - definite nominations for Efron, for the screenplay, and the directing, and as well as the film overall. (In some ways, I want it to win - so that the Von Erich "curse" is broken).
Saltburn… the reviews were saying how great the movie was, skip Saltburn and watch this. I’m so glad to become a man in this era because of the lack of support men got along the way. I’ve watched wrestling for over twenty years and never knew the story. I love the part where he was grieving and the wife didn’t care because her son needed attention. Two months ago, I was telling my coworker, who lost a son, what I going through and he was like, I assure you it's nothing. I’m being harassed on the job by two women and I’m flattered but if a man was doing it, it would be considered sexual harassment. But, since I’m a man it's like I’m supposed to be receptive but they don’t understand. If you’re looking for money. Time. And attention, I don’t have it. Then, this morning my sister texted me that Mom, whom I had hardly spoken to in five years, is in pain. She hasn’t gotten out of bed to eat or use the restroom. All of that is to say we’re all going through something, some are worse than others, some are greater than others. I haven’t lost a child but everyone reaches mental distress at some point and it affects us all differently.
When the ambition of parents hangs over their children so that through their descendants they can achieve the goals they did not achieve, things generally do not end well. You could say that this is the case of the Von Erich family of fighters, on whom the movie Iron Claw is inspired. The patriarch did not manage to become a world wrestling champion, so he dedicated himself, intelligently, I must say, to instilling in his four children the idea that they should become professional wrestlers to obtain the title that he did not obtain. It ends badly, very badly.
The selection of the cast is accurate: Holt McCallany as the patriarch Fritz Von Erich does an excellent job, showing himself to be tough, impetuous, demanding and very intelligent as it seems that he is not the one who forces everyone to do things, but rather seeks the best for his children. Maura Tierney, as his wife, Doris, is also excellent, playing the wife who either has the same thoughts as her husband, or has already been completely dominated and supports his every decision. The brothers are played by Stanley Simons, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White and Zac Efron, who is actually the protagonist of the film. All of their performances are good and Zac Efron takes the lead without problems. However, I found Cammy Crochet's hair work very unfortunate and was distracting in every scene.
Sean Durkin served as writer and director on his third feature film and, although after halfway through the film, the script seemed unnecessarily long to me for around fifteen minutes, after this the dynamism and interest resumed. I liked the soundtrack by Richard Reed Parry and the photography by Mátyás Erdély in the prologue of the film that begins with black and white scenes, and a close-up frame of the wonderful young Kevin Von Erich.
Iron Claw received some nominations for its overall cast in the 2023 Awards Season, but ultimately failed to earn any nominations in the 2024 big awards.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this movie but it was a lot more than this delivered. So many things wrong about it, starting with the fact that the producers tried to make the wrestling itself look real instead of scripted. (Granted, there was the one scene where Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez were going over the 'script' with Kevin and David, but apart from that, it seemed like the film really believed - or wanted its viewers to believe - that professional wrestling is all authentic.) Additionally, so many things in the timeline were completely wrong. Kerry Von Erich didn't go out and wreck his motorcycle - and lose his leg - the night he won the NWA title from Ric Flair: it happened YEARS later. Much more interesting to any true fan of the "Von Erich" family is the DVD The Rise and Fall of WCCW which is difficult to find nowadays, since everything has been absorbed by WWE and its "vault". (PS: It would have been great if they could've at least used the authentic opening theme from the old Saturday night WCCW cards.) The entire story, of course, is a tragedy but I suppose the Mike Von Erich story probably disturbed me the worst because I remember being a hardcore fan of WCCW and the Von Erichs when all that happened. I remember seeing Mike try to get a start in the wrestling ring and he just wasn't cut out for it; I also remember him trying to make a comeback and what an embarrassment THAT was. It was heartbreaking to watch because - long before you knew the story behind that whole family - you knew that he was just trying to keep up with his brothers. Another GLARING gaffe - possibly the worst of the film - was how bulked up "Kevin" was in comparison to his brother Kerry. Anyone who followed the Von Erich family knows that Kerry (thank you steroids) made the rest of his brothers look pale and scrawny. Kerry was the one the girls swooned over when he took his ring jacket off. Yet here, it's Kevin who makes his younger brother Kerry look slight and underdeveloped. Lot of huge mistakes throughout that any fan of WCCW would want to look away from. No Marc Lowrance (a staple of the Saturday night WCCW Sportatorium cards) here and very few of the other wrestlers that could have easily been at least a cameo to make this more interesting. And the guy they selected to portray Ric Flair was ridiculous. I was happy to see the little blurb at the close of the film (just before the end credits) regarding Kevin; anyone who can endure such tragedy deserves to at least live a long and happy life...or what's left of it after all this happens. For die-hard WCCW fans, this will be (IMO) a huge letdown; I don't feel it accurately portrays all that really happened and what all the Adkisson/Von Erich family did for the sport. If you can get your hands on a copy of the aforementioned DVD - and you're a fan of what we used to live for on Saturday nights - from 10PM til midnight every Saturday - you owe it to yourself to relive the glory - along with the tragedy - of the Von Erich days. I'll give this film props for that: After watching this, I'm going to break out that DVD and watch it again.
This is continuously fighting to not pigeonhole itself into the tropes of Hollywood biopics and sports movies. It often doesn't succeed, but the movie still somehow really works. You can tell Zac Efron's very eager to prove himself as a dramatic actor, and he delivers some of his finest work here. Jeremy Allen White and Holt McCallany are also excellent, a lot of the heavy dramatic weight feels earned because all of the characters and performances are so good. It's a tough watch, but one that's sure to resonate. The movie is at its best when focussing on the personal lives of these characters, with the parental relationship often reminding me of King Richard. This movie pushes that dynamic to a far more challenging and emotional place than that film was willing to go, so that's great. The technical filmmaking is pretty decent. I liked the cinematography choices but due to the lack of a refreshing vision it doesn't breathe new life into the more formulaic aspects of the film. The uninspired score doesn't help either, all of the dramatic cues have those typical sad piano chords and generic strings. Overall, this easily clears a lot of the Best Picture nominees thanks to making a stronger emotional impact, but there's a lot of stuff that could've been better.
6.5/10
My oh my. What Sean Durkin and of course the rest of the crew did here with such a low budget is truly incredible. I enjoyed The Iron Claw really much. It was an emotional roller coaster. This biopic had a great plot. I wasn't familiar with the Von Erich family as I am not that much familiar with wrestling at all. But I was shook.
The ending in particular was great. The one scene where Kerry woke up in heaven (or somewhere) and got to meet his 3 brothers again was amazing. AMAZING!
The acting, theme and dialogue were all great. Holt McCallany_s role (_Fritz Von Erich) was exeptionally great if you ask me.
Great cinematography, there were some great shots in this one.
Great directing. Not a single bad point. I dont't have anything to criticise except maybe the pacing. It could've been like 20 min shorter.
My personal rating:
-Plot (Story Arc and Plausibility): 8/10
-Attraction (Premise & Entertainment Value): 8/10
-Theme (Identity & Depth): 8/10
-Acting (Characters & Performance): 7.5/10
-Dialogue (Storytelling & Context): 8.5/10
-Cinematography (Visual Language & Lighting, Setting, and Wardrobe): 8/10
-Editing (Pace & Effects): 7/10
-Soundtrack (Sound Design & Film Score): 7/10
-Directing (Vision & Execution): 8/10
-The “It” Factor (One-of-a-Kind & Transcendent): 7.5/10Overall: 8/10 || 77.5/100
The best movie about wrestling since the Wrestler and Fighting With My Family. Though it just shows classic matches, family scenes and then more wrestling back and forth throughout.
The performances are solid. With everyone believable as the real life Von Erich family. With the reliable Lily James of course also great as Kevin’s (Zach Effron) girlfriend.
Slight real life spoilers: Wrestling was so in the blood of some of the brothers that they unfortunately took their own lives when they couldn’t wrestle anymore. Or to be with their deceased brothers.
The film leaves out Chris Von Erich who killed himself since the director felt like having Kerry was sad enough.
Though I don’t think one Von Erich shouldn’t have been totally left out. I do some-what get what the director means.
The film does however at least capture how much these brothers love each other and how close they are. As well as capturing some classic wrestling moments.
The Iron Claw moves along smoothly. It just however expects you to know some things that happened on your own. Like Kevin having to team up with a fake Von Erich played by MJF of AEW. When his brothers were injured badly. It didn’t cover too well.
You do get that maybe having a father (Holt McCallany) who was always pushing them to be the best and that wrestling is all they had. That possibly some of the brothers pushed themselves too hard or felt like failures when they couldn’t do it anymore.
The movie can be sad and depressing but also some-what inspiring. Due to the fact of how strong Kevin is and the fact he has lived on. Possibly because he was the only brother to have a wife and kids to help him get through loss.
Review by JCVIP 4BlockedParent2024-01-17T07:45:20Z
Look this hit me somewhere personal with both family (my oldest brother committed suicide) and mental issues (I have depression and have been suicidal in the past), along with professional wrestling having a spot in my heart both emotionally and cerebrally since childhood, so on a me level it gets this five even if on an objective level it might be a half or full star lower. Things are truncated to fit the runtime or because it’d be unbelievably sad (there is a whole fifth brother) and it’s idea of what wrestling really is in universe is a bit muddled, but the cast all nail it- especially Efron- with humanity and love, the tragedy hanging over it all in the classical inevitable sense from knowing the story beforehand lends an extra dread to it all, and it was incredibly cathartic. The third act from Kerry’s suicide on left me bawling.
I loved Live That Way Forever at the party being the moment where they were all just happy before it all gradually went wrong, and it made its reprise all the harder hitting. I loved the kids being there for their father, that kind of thing always hits me, parent and child being a two way street and being better than their forebears. How that love the brothers always had, raw and emotional and true, could be passed onto him and his sons free from Fitz and his toxic ideals of masculinity and results. You can break the cycle and there can be a little light in a darkness unfair and that should never have been.
The imagine spot of Kevin with the brothers could’ve been hokey or too sentimental, but they earned it, they stuck the landing by keeping it in key with who Kevin was the whole movie. It’s a desperate, teary hope of his, and that’s what made it work. Maybe the whole movie could be considered that. That beating heart, working to be sensitive to the tragedy and not sensationalist with what they show and what they don’t. This is epitomized by Kerry, showing not his head wound but the blood dripping and coloring the leaves red. The serene landscape of the home they loved for the fact it had each other there colored once again by tragedy. After the credits rolled I just stuck around with the friends I saw it with and confided with them and them in me of similar tragedies and struggles in our life, and that’s powerful to me. That’s something I’ll always hold close and that I’ll think of with this movie, and it’s why I can’t give it anything but a five.