2.5 stars out of 5
The Von Erichs were heroes to some but didn’t mean shit to me. I was a WWF kid: Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito, etc. When I was a bit older there was some second-rate wrestling federation on WTBS; I associate that with Saturday nights, the folks away, and cooking up Steak-Umms on the stovetop. But I don’t think the Von Erichs were in that either.
Still — especially with my own experience as a wrestling commentator — I was interested to see this film, a “serious” look at pro wrasslin’ and this “cursed” family. I was curious when I saw “inspired by a true story” in the opening credits, which is a lot looser phrasing than “based on.” Well, here’s one example of an omission from the facts: The movie begins with dad Fritz Von Erich as a younger man, trying to make it as a pro wrestler (with his signature move, The Iron Claw!). But what I learned later from Google: He chose the name Von Erich because his bad-guy character (a heel, in wrestling terminology) was… a Nazi. So, maybe just maybe that would’ve been a turnoff for modern audiences. At least I hope so.
Fritz is played by Holt McCallany, who I enjoyed in both Lights Out and Mindhunter. The character is a Great Santini type, a hardass pushing his boys to excellence, which in their world is the NWA heavyweight championship belt. His god-fearing but generally quiet wife is portrayed by Maura Tierney from NewsRadio. I didn’t recognize top-prospect son Kevin initially; whoa, it’s Zac Efron beefed up like Ahnold! Efron, sad/catatonic through most of the story, gives the strongest performance here, and is the movie’s conscience. And look, it’s Jeremy Allen White from The Bear as the brother who hoped to be an Olympic discus-thrower, but just when he thought he was out, the Von Erichs pull him back in. His signature wrestling move: When he sneaks up on he opponent, he shouts “Behind you, chef!”
What do these cast members have in common? They’re primarily TV actors, not movie people. And this really feels like a TV movie, not a theatrical release. Because it’s just not very good or artful in writing, direction, or performance. As bad luck befell yet another Von Erich boy (there are two more: David who passes Kevin as the favored contender, and gentle Mike who only wants to play in a bar band but that’s not good enough for Daddy!), I just had to laugh — it was getting ridiculous. The filmmakers knew it, too; they omit the story of yet another doomed real-life brother, probably thinking the audience would view it as over-the-top.
There’s a hidden existential question that could’ve made this film more interesting. Early on, Kevin’s future wife (Lily James) asks him about it all being fake. Then we see Von Erichs plotting out a match with their opponents. And later, Nature Boy Ric Flair seems to be taking the sport much less seriously than the Von Erichs do. With that unexplored concept — this Shakespearean tragedy of blood, sweat, and tears in an absolutely meaningless pursuit — then you’d have a movie! As-is, it’s The Iron Blah.
Movie Review: The Iron Claw
2 responses to “Movie Review: The Iron Claw”
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It is very interesting and enlightening to hear your take on this. Here is the funny thing even as a kid who grew up in the shadow of NYC had family who worked at both MSG and Brendan Byrne I preferred southern wrestling and above all else my favorite fed was in TX (bit of trivia my second favorite was that one on TBS ?) Everything you say here and every vibe I got leading up to its release is EXACTLY what I feared was going to be wrong with this movie. As people who grew up during the hey day of TV movies I feel there are way too money bio films that are getting almost Spielbergian like hype and budgets but returning Movie of the Week results which in and of itself is not a bad thing but let’s call a duck a duck. My 100% faith in your opinion has only enforced my want to see this from the comfort of my couch.
Looking forward to your eventual review, my friend! From a couple of people who loved this movie, I get the feeling (as I felt with Ferrari and Napoleon) that the less one knows about the true story, the more they might get caught up in the admittedly tragic story.