For a Wrestling Family, There’s More Pain Outside the Ring than Within

Zac Efron in "The Iron Claw"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Writer-director Sean Durkin is someone who, with the films he’s given audiences thus far, deals with stories involving families, be they families that you pick, or families into which you’re born.  Through this lens, he explores the destructive natures that can be found in either.  Whether it’s a girl escaping from a cult in “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” or a family moving to a new country in “The Nest,” he shows us the psychological effects that these scenarios have on his characters.

His latest film to do this is his biographical sports drama, “The Iron Claw,” a film that tells a story of the effects that familial pressures can have on an individual.  Packed with blazing performances and emotional grit, this film provided one of the most arresting moviegoing experiences of 2023.

In 1979 Texas, the Von Erichs are a prominent wrestling family consisting of brothers Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simons), their father Fritz (Holt McCallany), and their mother Doris (Maura Tierney).  As the years go by and the brothers do what they can to make a name for themselves in the world of wrestling, they’ll face even harder challenges within their family.  

Efron shows absolute confidence in taking on a role that’s both physically and emotionally demanding, tackling both of these aspects with screen-shattering power.  He exhibits Kevin’s unshakeable drive to be the best that he can be, while also showing the stress that he carries in being the oldest brother and wanting to take care of and set an example for his siblings.  It’s a performance that displays the discipline that’s been hammered into Kevin by his father, as well as a low-key intensity of someone who thrives on their unwavering focus.  You feel that drive coming from Efron throughout the film, and when you mix in his powerful emotional range during the film’s most heartbreaking moments, it all culminates in a performance where Efron displays the devastating hardships through which Kevin has gone.

Efron also has tremendous chemistry with the actors who portray Kevin’s brothers.  Between him, White, Dickenson, and Simons, we see the brotherly connections that have built up over the years.  The love and support that they have for each other are bonds that seem unbreakable, which makes each tragedy that they face all the more painful.  The actors portraying Kevin’s brothers leave an impact as we see how their roles in the family influence their life decisions.  Aside from this quartet of performances, we also have memorable work from McCallany and Tierney, as well as Lily James, who plays Kevin’s wife, Pam, all three of whom are given their own moments to showcase how they react to the turmoil within the family.

The screenplay by Durkin offers an in-depth view of this family that allows us to see the dynamics amongst the Von Erichs, whether it be between the parents and their children, or amongst the brothers themselves.  Although this is mostly Kevin’s story, the narrative still provides us with glimpses into the psyches of the other three Von Erich brothers as they tackle their personal and professional challenges.  The story presents in absorbing detail how the brothers want to do what they can to make their parents proud, but also how their strive for greatness and approval comes at a cost.  I didn’t know anything about the Von Erich family before seeing this film, but Durkin unfurls this heartbreaking family saga of American sports history with a thoroughness that invests us in a layered narrative of deep characters and poignant family drama.

The cinematography by Mátyás Erdély, who provided the camerawork for “The Nest,” does well in capturing not just the intensity of the wrestling ring, but the sequences that are more dialogue-heavy.  In these scenes, he makes an effective use of long takes through slow zoom-in shots, tracking shots, or stoic shots that allow us to feel the gravity of what’s taking place on screen.  Whether these scenes depict tension within the family, or if it’s any of the family members having a heart-to-heart, Erdély’s framing allows us to study the body movements of the characters without being interrupted by edits.  We see how they carry themselves outside the ring, compared to inside, in regards to how they move through life when not engaged in physical combat, balancing their in-the-ring showmanship with everyday body language.

As a director, Durkin does well in his most technically and narratively ambitious film yet.  For this movie, he displays a terrific control of the well-choreographed wrestling scenes every bit as much as the handling of drama that he mastered for his previous two movies.  During all of this, Durkin maintains the heaviness of emotional pain as the family grapples with what they believe to be a family curse, having to face one tragedy after another, and we experience that heaviness pressing down on us little by little with each harrowing loss.  On another level, Durkin establishes a similar pressure in terms of what it’s like to undergo the crushing weight of expectation from others, feeling the need stay on top of your game for fear of not being good enough.

Through Durkin’s earnest portrayal of a family trying to keep itself together, “The Iron Claw” will have you captivated in its grip.

Grade: A