THE IRON CLAW is based on the true story of the 1970s Texas wrestling family Von Erich —four brothers under the hammer fist of their father, Fritz Von Erich. He’s a toxic villain stuck in the 1940s who will stop at nothing to see his sons carry their name to the Wrestling Heavyweight Championship. THE IRON CLAW begins in Texas in the late ‘70s. Many will consider this movie a noxious testosterone fest with oiled-up musclemen in tight shorts (settle down) beating the crap out of each other. Well, you got me there. But stay with me.
Zach Efron had to triple (probably) his weight from his mid-2000s Disney days to become Kevin Von Erich. Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) proves he’s more than a Calvin Klein underwear model (settle down). Efron is most notable for his utter transformation. He inhabits that bulk so well his puny past vanishes, but with a vulnerability that will carry him to the end of the movie. He sees there is more to “family” than just being cannon fodder for Dad’s pathology.
Holt McCallany (Manhunter) takes on the role of Fritz, the patriarch, who decrees his sons must celebrate his poisonous intent and venomous mindset to gain his favor. Doris is a mom of her time and place, played hauntingly by Maura Tierney (ER, PRIMAL FEAR). Her doe-eyed softness hides an iron commitment to her man and her God.
Professional wrestling is primarily entertainment. The movie's first half exposes the viewer to the nuts and bolts of bringing what has been called unsophisticated drama in the ring to the masses. We see the incredible physical pain and toughness the performers/athletes must endure to pull off the exaggerated beatdowns orchestrated by promoters who choose heartlessly which contenders will rise and fall. It is brutal. Seeing this sets the scene to explore how the four brothers bond against the violence and agony.
The “Iron Claw” is a wrestling move that is exactly what it sounds like. It represents the hold the father has on his sons. But their loyalty to their father never shakes the bond between the brothers, who seem to live in a perpetual idyllic Texas summer, working the farm and floating her rivers with a cooler of beer, being local stars. But it can’t last.
They are not allowed nurturing beyond training and are expected to provide each other the love and guidance that should rightly come from their parents. Fritz’s obsession with winning drives the kids to drugs and mental breakdowns, yet this misery doesn’t break the chains that bind them to their father.
This is where the movie shines. As things go from bad to worse, we see the chains weaken. We see Kevin handle the familial disasters with the guidance of his wife Pam (Lily James), a woman of substance whose strength of character keeps Kevin centered in a world inside and outside his dad’s realm. IRON CLAW takes us down the path of redemption. It slams us into the canvas with Fritz's manipulative and violent control over his sons. But this is to contrast the transformation of one brother into the kind of dad his dad could never be. It is a movie about victory over carved-in-stone ideas that have no place in today’s world. It is a well-made, relevant film that is worth stepping outside your cinematic comfort zone to see such Oscar-worthy performances and writing. Don’t tap out on this one.
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