The Mosley Review: The Iron Claw
A film based on a true story can be one of two sides of a coin. On one side, you can focus on the rise and success followed by the glitz and glamour and eventually the hard realities and eventual fall. One the other hand, you can focus on the personal life of the subject and lightly focus on the rise to fame, but push it aside to get more in depth with the subject's family. Well this film sits right on the spine of the coin. Yes it does primarily focuses on the real story of the Von Erich wrestling family, but also glosses over all of their achievements, accolades and stardom rather quickly. You almost don't really get a chance to see why they were considered to be one of the greatest families in the history of the sport. What you do get is the heartbreaking story of a family being led by someone that never left the past and pretty much forced their dream on their sons. What was fascinating is the depiction of the wrestling world almost being a co-antagonist to the life story of the Von Erich’s. The immersion into the psychologocial ramifications of the sport is explored in a sad way that we've seen in many other true stories and it leaves you in a more melancholy state throughout the film.
Zac Efron delivers a stirring and hard hitting performance as Kevin Von Erich. The amount of weight he bares of the family name in the world of wrestling was huge and you see first hand of how he tries to please his father's ambitions. You see the amount of pain he endures from the doubts that are placed upon him. His wrestling matches were the most intense and sometimes brutal and Zac shows great dramatic and athletic prowess. Harris Dickinson was great as his younger brother David Von Erich and I loved that he was the most charismatic one of the family. Harris had the most chemistry with Zac and their conversation in the bathroom scene one was one of their best moments together and his mic skills were excellent. Jeremy Allen White was strong as Kerry Von Erich and loved his dedication. He accurately portrays that desperation to hang on to whatever athleticism he has left after a possible debilitating injury. The amount of sorrow in his eyes was heartbreaking as his story progressed. Stanley Simons was so heartfelt and innocent as Mike Von Erich. He nailed that boyish charm and joy of playing music instead of following the family business. He was truly the most lovable and hardest to watch as he should've never been in the ring. Lily James is always great and she was great as Kevin's love interest Pam Adkisson. The moment Pam and Lilly meet, you could see the sparks between them fly as her flirtation turned into pure love even with Kevin's awkwardness. Maura Tierney was absolutely wonderful as their mother Doris Von Erich. You see the love she has for her family in a fantastic dinner scene. She bears the heaviest amount of emotional weight as the family curse strikes and it was very hard to watch. The stairs scene really hit me. Holt McCallany was great and truly toxic as their father Fritz Von Erich. He was an excellent businessman and the amount of motivation he would give to his sons was great, but horrible at the same time. He never really let go of his dream and became more of a coach and less of a father. Holt nailed that horrific nature of a person past their prime and delivered a performance that is in the lexicon of great villains. Aaron Dean Eisenberg was outstanding as Ric Flair and he nailed his eccentric, larger than life, and villainous persona.
The score by Richard Reed Parry was good when present and added to the heartfelt moments and sadness to the more somber scenes. The wrestling sequences were shot very well and I liked the sort of Creed approach where you are in the ring with the characters. It was immersive and sometimes jarring since the main focus wasn't really about the showmanship. That's where I felt this film lacked. It was a great study on the family, but I think this held back by its runtime. I really wanted to connect a little more with each brother and truly delve into the reason why they were considered one of the greatest wrestling families in the industry. The performances were outstanding across the board and although this may not be the greatest wrestling film ever made, but it sure is up there. Perhaps this would’ve been a better miniseries than a film. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review of the film. Thanks for reading!
