The Iron Claw (2023)
★★★½ — The Iron Claw (2023)
Sean Durkin's third feature, The Iron Claw, arrives a decade after his unnerving debut Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) and his lesser-seen follow-up The Nest (2020), both of which established him as a director drawn to families corroded from within. Produced by A24 and BBC Film, the film dramatises the true story of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty, a Texas-based family whose dominance of World Class Championship Wrestling in the early 1980s was accompanied by an almost unthinkable run of tragedy. For Zac Efron, the role of Kerry Von Erich represented a significant physical and dramatic departure, requiring a considerable body transformation. Harris Dickinson and Jeremy Allen White (then riding the wave of The Bear's breakout success) round out the central family, giving the film an unusually committed ensemble for its modest budget.
The Iron Claw is a devastating, powerfully acted film. A tragedy wrapped in spandex and stadium lights. As someone who’s been in the wrestling world as a former performer, I went in knowing the broad strokes of the Von Erich story: the legacy, the Texas wrestling empire, the weight of expectation, and the heartbreaking losses. But the film still hit harder than I expected. It’s not just about wrestling, it’s about family, pride, the crushing burden of perfection, and what happens when dreams turn into curses. Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White deliver career-best performances as Mark and Kevin Von Erich, respectively. White, in particular, embodies Kevin’s quiet torment, his desperate need to please his father, and his slow erosion under grief and guilt. The physical transformation, the mannerisms, the pain in every move, it’s all there. And yes, I was stunned that so many viewers are learning for the first time that Kerry wrestled his entire WWE run on one foot, a fact those of us in the business knew all too well. The man was a warrior. That said, the decision to cut Chris Von Erich from the story entirely is baffling. He wasn’t just another brother, he was central to the later years, and his absence creates a narrative gap that feels dishonest. The film also skips over so much of the “in between”, the rivalries, the politics, the smaller tragedies that built up to the larger collapse. It streamlines the timeline to the point of oversimplification. And let’s be real, whoever played Ric Flair? That was a disaster. None of the mannerisms, none of the swagger, none of the cadence. It wasn’t just miscast, it was embarrassing. Flair was larger than life; this version was flat and forgettable. Still, despite its flaws, The Iron Claw is a triumph. It captures the emotional truth of the Von Erich curse better than any documentary ever did. The final scenes are shattering. It’s not a wrestling movie, it’s a family tragedy set in the world of wrestling. And for that, it earns every bit of its power.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2023 | Watched: 2025-08-09
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