Writer/director Sean Durkin most surely has a knack dark and tense films. These tend to wind up as parables of warning rather than just telling a story. His third feature film, “The Iron Claw,” is dark and tense. It leans into being an “inspired by” tale of the ill-fated wrestling family, the Von Erichs.
Fitzpatrick Jack Adkisson (Holt McCallany), a professional wrestler known as Fritz Von Erich, is the family’s fervent leader. Having built up a wrestling legacy himself, he manages a regional wrestling circuit around Texas. While not having won a national championship, he has burned his ambition to bring one home into his myriad sons. The eldest being Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simons). Between Jack and his utterly disconnected wife, Doris (Maura Tierney), the role of family is pushed from a place of support and safety to one that is a grind with only one true goal: bringing the championship belt back home.
As an aside, I grew up with a stepparent very close to Holt’s portrayal of Jack. Has has no emotions beyond raw anger, a sense that greatness is owed to him, and that the best interests or needs of his children are not only not of particular interest, but that their sanity and health don’t even occur to be something to think about.
Early on, Kevin comments that the family is cursed, and that terrible things befall them. And sure enough, they soon begin to, from one tragedy to another. The performances between the brothers are deep emotional dives. Each individual is damaged, and barely operates as a fully-formed person. When Jack continuously jumps on Mike, the youngest of the sons, Kevin goes to speak with Doris for advice, but she doesn’t break her stride as she tells him, “that’s between them.” At no point in the entirety of the film does either parent connect with their children beyond what they need out of them. After one particular tragedy, Jack tells the brothers to remove their sunglasses and no crying would be tolerated, because of course, they should act like men.
It’s two hours of a case study in how patently disconnected they are from the damage they do daily to their own kids. Not only are they disconnected, they don’t care. As a wrestling movie, it’s fine. They don’t delve too much into the inside baseball side of things, and in reality, it’s not what the story is about. It’s about family, about the failure of parents to support their children, and of children who will give their bodies and lives for that fleeting moment where perhaps, maybe, they will get that nugget of approval. But let’s be honest, when films are this real, that nugget will never come.
If you are looking for an action-packed wrestling movie, this is not what you want. Go back and watch some of Netflix’s too-soon-cancelled “GLOW,” or the documentary series, “Wrestlers.” If you want an intense family drama, then you will not be disappointed with “The Iron Claw.” Look for Efron to have no lack of nominations during award season for his performance.
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
A24′s “The Iron Claw” hits theaters everywhere on December 22nd, 2023. Check out the trailer below:
