The Iron Claw is a heavy film. Zac Efron's body is heavy with muscle. His character, Kevin Von Elrich, is heavy with the weight of family expectations. Come the end of the film his heart is heavy with loss. A jolly couple of hours in the cinema this is not but it is very watchable and notable as an eye catching debut from writer/director Sean Durkin and for some top notch performances.
The film is based on the true story of the Von Elrich brothers. In addition to Kevin there's Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson) and Mike (Stanley Simmons). Their father Fritz took wrestling so seriously that he changed his family name to that of his character but was never able to capture the most coveted titles and demands that his sons either finish what he started or achieve sporting excellence in some other way. He holds no truck with the old adage that you shouldn't play favourites with your kids, happily telling them what order he ranks them in, with potential Olympic discus contender Kerry occupying number one. If you think their religious mother Doris provides the unconditional warmth they don't get from daddy then think again, "that's what your brothers are for" Kevin is dismissively told when he asks to speak to her. The parents are no pantomime villains, they think pushing their kids and teaching them self-reliant toughness is setting them up for success, but throwing the kind hearted boys into the meat grinder of professional wrestling with no emotional support beyond "bring home the bacon son" has tragic consequences.
And boy are they tragic. Its worth baring in mind as the misery piles up that the real story is even worse. There is a whole brother left out of this retelling as Durkin (correctly) surmised the film just couldn't take more grief. Even as is it can be a bit of a stretch. There are moments of triumph and cosy togetherness but once the wheels come off the hits keep on coming at such a speed that they become routine and it is hard to feel their full impact.
What keeps the film on track, no matter how close to Greek tragedy the events steer it, are the performances. Everyone is terrific but while its something of an ensemble piece the main focus is on Effron's Kevin and he uses his natural gifts to full effect. Not many people have the genetics to get as shredded as the former Disney kid is here and his physique really sells the idea that his character is the most dedicated of them all. All the muscle is in stark contrast to his puppy dog eyes, making Kevin look like an innocent child trapped inside his hulking body and forced to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders when all he wants is a quiet life with his family. Playing a man who doesn't have the tools to express his feelings, Efron shows it all with the most subtle face acting and the fact he's still seen as the High School Musical kid is probably the only reason he didn't get an Oscar nomination.
Fans of professional wrestling may find a couple of things distracting. Aaron Dean Eisenberg appears as Ric Flair and while he acts exactly how you would expect he doesn't really look, or more importantly sound, anything like him. Also, by focusing so hard on the family dynamic as the driving factor behind all the tragedy the film glosses over many of the other potential factors. A combination of head trauma, drug addiction, steroid abuse and general brutal lifestyle has taken a horrible toll on wrestlers (particularly of that era) and while you see a little of that here its very much all on the back burner in favour of a clear "sins of the father" storyline.
Still, making a movie about this story and not only making it watchable, but actually managing to leave the audience feeling somewhat upbeat come the time the credits role is a great achievement and testament to the fact everyone here has brought something special to the production.
8 tap outs out of 10.
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