The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Truth) About…
The Iron Claw (2023)

Writer and director, Sean Durkin (The Nest, Dead Ringers,) adapted his penchant for portraying family strife by taking on the subject of one of the most famous families (and just as infamous stories) in professional wrestling: The Von Erichs.

The Good:
Durkin has reverence for the source material, citing Kevin Von Erich as a childhood hero. Great pains were made to portray the wrestling business and the Von Erich family with dignity and respect. Although this has been the standard for media since well before 2008’s The Wrestler (Sylvester Stallone famously defended pro wrestling while making Paradise Alley,) it’s still nice to see considering the many slings and arrows the genre has taken in the past.

Professional wrestling may be “fake” but the events that unfold on screen feel very real. I don’t just mean that in terms of “inspired by a true story.” The performances by the entire main cast and the way the little moments that make up the characters’ lives are shot by the director make it seem as if we’re watching real events through a time portal. I’ve never set foot in Texas but I am a graybeard, old enough to remember the 80s. I grew up in a similar environment. My father was the oldest of five brothers, working in a family business, and spending a lot of time under one roof. Now, he’s the oldest of four brothers and they’re working elsewhere.

 

Watching re-creations of matches with Harley Race, Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez, and the Fabulous Freebirds is a hoot and all but watching the natural ease that the actors take with each other, it’s seeing the bond and familiarity and occasional rivalry of brotherhood like I don’t think I’ve seen before on screen or outside of my memories. More than any one character, the family was showcased and you got to see the soul that ran through it.

Holt McCallany and Maura Tierney portray the dynamics of father/husband/boss, Fritz, and mother/wife, Lisa, navigating the unique state of the Von Erich home and ranch and the World Class Championship Wrestling territory perfectly. Stanley Simons, playing the youngest (in the movie) Von Erich brother, Michael, has a limited filmography thus far but made stellar work out of his opportunity here. Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich does a very subtle shift from a largely carefree young man to a husband and father struggling with doubts and depression.

A lot of fuss was made about the body transformations of stars Zac Efron (portraying  Kevin Von Erich,) Harris Dickinson (David Von Erich,) and Jeremy Allen White (Kerry Von Erich.) It was necessary to play the parts and just as impressive was the dedication to learning the mannerisms of the Von Erich boys and the mechanics of professional wrestling. Kevin, David, and Kerry were all great athletes, with Kevin in particular being known for doing dives and maneuvers rarely seen in the US at the time. Choreographer, Chavo Guerrero Jr, sure did his job. They nailed it.

Classic hits ranging from Blue Oyster Cult and Rush to John Denver and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are heard throughout, doing a great job of capturing the timeframe, the boys’ tastes, and Michael Von Erich’s love of music. The original score by Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry hits great and the Springsteen-esque original song, “Live That Way Forever” (written with wife, Laurel Sprengelmeyer of Little Scream,) is an earworm that drove me nuts waiting for its singles release.

There was a seemingly supernatural element to the story. It could be interpreted a few different ways. The Von Erichs were a religious family who had to hear about a “curse” for the past 60 years or more so it was appropriate and never came off corny. It was all done with respect and shot wonderfully.

The Bad:
There are two types of people going to see this movie: the independent film crowd and wrestling fans. Of the two, wrestling fans probably did more homework so I wasn’t surprised to hear “Oh boy. Here we go.” from the audience as they got to the Ric Flair portrayal. It… was not good. Maybe you don’t want someone that will go out there and do a caricature (although that begs the question if it’s even possible to parody Ric Flair) but it was out of place in a film that did such a good job on everything else. I think the real problem may be that Flair is one of the most famous and arguably the greatest performer in professional wrestling history. Seeing that little of care taken towards his portrayal was confusing.

The Ugly (Truth):
There were some grumblings about Jeremy Allen White as six-foot-two “body guy” Kerry but he did a fine job and, as mentioned before, did everything within his power to look the part. That’s the thing that bears some scrutiny. It’s an open not-even-a-secret in Hollywood that drinking copious milkshakes to portray an aging Jake Lamotta isn’t the only body modification done for film roles. Zac Efron has spent a good amount of his career with his shirt off and never looked anything like he did in The Iron Claw. I don’t have an alternative answer. I’m not even saying that there needs to be. I only hope that everything done was with the actors’ health greatly in consideration.

Cutting the tragic story of Chris Von Erich from the film seems cruel. He was there. He grieved with his brothers and for his brothers. He was in the ring under the lights of The Sportatorium. But the sacrifices they all made was for their family and for World Class. Chris was sacrificed one last time here for the family’s story. It was the right move for the film. It’s up to the fans to remember the reality.

Kevin Von Erich has gone on record that he appreciated the efforts that went into the movie and said that the portrayal of his father, Fritz Von Erich (born as Jack Adkisson) was mostly accurate. That said, he has gone on the say that it is regrettable that Fritz comes off as the villain of the story. The depiction of family life and parental roles seen in the movie might seem callous or worse to some. It is important to remember the time, place, and circumstances surrounding The Von Erichs. Fritz was a driven man. He pushed his sons toward success. This was because he wanted the best for them, more than he had ever achieved himself. The scene from the trailers where Fritz ranks his favorites and another where Lisa tells Kevin “That’s what your brothers are for,” when says he needs to have a talk in a large and busy family, that sort of thing is as common as having to wait for the bathroom. Both the real Fritz and the film version were supportive of their sons. They valued them. They just weren’t very nuanced about it. And God knows that would have helped. A lot.