By Jamil Weeks

The Von Erich family name is well known in wrestling circles, particularly in Texas. The family of professional wrestlers developed the iconic submission move, known as the Iron Claw, which became the ultimate finishing move against their opponents. The Von Erich's gave everything to the sport of wrestling, to the detriment of many members of the family. Wrestling is not the only thing the family name is synonymous with by wrestling aficionados. Tragedy and the Von Erich's seem to go together as much as wrestling and spandex. So much that some in the family believe there is a curse on the family name. The rise and fall of this family is the subject of A24’s latest film, The Iron Claw. Starring Zac Effron as Kevin Von Erich, the movie centers around his character as he and his brothers join forces in the ring to take the wrestling world by storm. On their quest to have a member of their clan become the world heavyweight champion, the movie shows a series of unfortunate events that threaten to destroy the family from within. The Iron Claw is not just a wrestling movie, but more a film about family.

The Von Erich brothers are the heart of this film. In addition to Kevin, you have Kerry (played by Jeremy Allen White), David (played by Harris Dickinson), and Mike (played by Stanley Simons). Despite the turmoil surrounding the family, the bond between the brothers remains strong. You buy into the chemistry the brothers have with each other, which is a testament to the film’s director, Sean Durkin. No matter what disasters strike the family, the brothers always band together. When the family suffers through the bad times, the emotional gravity of those scenes weighs down like a ton of bricks. The first half of the film introduces us to the family and establishes the family dynamic. The patriarch of the family, Fritz (portrayed by Holt McCallany), rules the family with an iron fist. Fritz’ wife, Doris (played by Maura Tierney), is the meek mother who stays out of the way. As the brothers rise in the sport of wrestling, the connection between them remains tight. Despite the internal competition between them manufactured by Fritz, the love the brothers have for each other is truly touching. During the second half of the film when the family suffers through catastrophes one after the other, your heart breaks for them again and again.

The downward spiral the Von Erich family takes originates from Fritz’s obsession with having a world wrestling champion in the family. Fritz, who was also a wrestler in his heyday, felt slighted by never getting his title shot. The bitterness inside him created a chip on his shoulder that drove him to push his sons to the limit. Fritz molded his sons with tough love so that they could overcome any obstacle in their path. While Fritz’s heart was in the right place, his misguided ambition for his sons’ future ultimately led to their downfall. Doris partially bears responsibility for the tragedies that rip the family apart. An example is when Doris turns a blind eye when Kevin asks for her to intervene when Fritz harshly pushes one of his brothers too hard. Fritz assumes a tyrannical role over his son’s lives, like J.K. Simmons’ character, Terence Fletcher, from Whiplash, since his behavior goes unchecked by Doris. On his quest to push his sons to greatness, Fritz inadvertently destroys the family from within.

The Iron Claw is arguably a top 10 movie of 2023, but the movie is not without its flaws. Despite the acting performances being top-notch across the boards, Aaron Dean Eisenberg’s portrayal of Ric Flair was by far the weakest. More of a nitpick but Eisenberg as Ric Flair was more of a caricature of Ric Flair than an accurate portrayal of the wrestling icon. Another weakness of the movie was how briskly the film moves with some of the events that are depicted. With so much story to tell, the movie seems to jump around more than one would hope. I would have liked to have seen some of the incidents that take place in the film rather than hear about them secondhand through dialogue. Last, there was a fifth brother that was not even in the film. Of course, filmmakers take certain liberties when making biopics, but to leave a family member out of the story felt like an odd choice. You would want these sorts of stories to be told as accurately as possible. Maybe the filmmakers felt it would have been too much for the audience to handle more tragedies of the poor Von Erich's. At the end of the day, these slight blemishes do not ruin the experience of watching this film.

There are times when you watch a movie, and it stays with you long after watching. The Iron Claw is truly one of those films. The final scene is a true gut punch that will make a person with the hardest of hearts struggle to not shed a tear. The movie is an examination of the price of fame and the lengths people will go through to realize a dream, whether that dream is their own or someone else’s. The movie is a moving, emotional journey of a family plagued with countless tragedies. The movie shows the dark side of wrestling as well as the American dream. Zac Effron is spectacular as Kevin in a standout role that should catapult his career as a serious actor. The immense pressure the brothers are faced with to realize their father’s dream is symbolized by their signature Iron Claw finishing move, which is when they place their hand on their opponent’s head and put all their strength into squeezing their skulls until their opponent taps out. The duress the father inflicts on his sons to be world heavyweight champion ultimately proves to be the brothers’ undoing. The Iron Claw is a MUST SEE.