Confession: I used to be a wrestling fan when I was a teen but went on to other interests, comics, action figures and eventually women. Learning how fake the sport was, made it much easier for me.
But what wasn't fake was the mostly factual events shown during 2023's The Iron Claw, where Five brothers from Texas, entered the Wrestling circuit under the tutelage of their stern father Fritz who began his career as a pro wrestler during the 50's and was the patriarch of the family who came up with this pressured face grab technique he dubbed "the iron claw."
This biopic featuring an Oscar worthy performance by Zac Efron, follows the trials, tribulations and tragedies of the Von Erich family as we witness life altering decisions which resulted in dire consequences for each brother.
The pacing, setting and recreated vintage Wrestling footage were immersive while Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) Lily James and especially a jacked-up Zac gave exceptional portrays of their respective roles.
As with Stephen King's The Stand,Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't fear the Reaper” perfectly fits the tone of The Iron Claw, for its impending nihilistic narrative.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention actor Holt McCalley who starred as Fritz, and many can easily deduce his role as the film's villain who would inadvertently be responsible for the tragic outcomes surrounding the family, through relentless ambition pushing the brothers to succeed within the ring even at times causing sibling rivalry.
Once someone dies, the story shows no slowdown of its tragic occurrences whatsoever but aside from the grim scenarios therein lies a well implemented love story between Kevin Von Erich and his wife Pam who was Kevin's guiding spirit leading to that old saying of behind every good man, is a great woman. Just paraphrasing.
The movie reaches a heartbreaking conclusion followed by an emotional gut punching "reunion" that took a page from Jim Starlin's Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 .
While some may say that the tragedies within the Von Erich family is a curse, hell there's even a scene where Kevin changes his firstborn son's last name to avoid the curse, there are others that would refer it to karma since Fritz portrayed a Nazi sympathizer back during his early stint in the Wrestling federation, but overall, it's fate and once again, making not so good choices.
Now that Iron Claw is readily available for Max's streaming service, I highly recommend checking out this well acted sports drama with Efron's best performance to date. Whether you're a fan of Wrestling or love emotional driven stories, you can do no wrong with The Iron Claw.
