The Iron Claw, released near the end of 2023, is a biographical sports drama on the real-life story of wrestling’s most tragedious family, the Von Erichs. Kevin, David, Kerry, and Mike headlined the film as their very controlling father, Fritz, who was an ex-professional wrestler himself, consistently pushes his sons to go into the “family business” of wrestling.
Kevin, played by Zac Efron, came up short time and time again and often got overshadowed by his brothers. David, played by Harris Dickinson, was on standby for many occasions whenever Kevin couldn’t cut a decent promo, whether it was pre-taped or live. Jeremy Allen White’s Kerry came in and was an immediate factor for the brothers. The former Olympian gained the most popularity in the group after being nicknamed the “Texas Tornado,” as well as defeating Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The odd one out amongst them all was Mike, Mike had a love for music and showcased that by performing at the parties his brothers would sneak him out to. After David and Kerry’s deaths, Mike was forced into wrestling by his father and was not into the role at all since it was not what he wanted to do.
The film fantastically incorporates the 1980s feeling through costuming, set design, and music choice, through Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.” The film is also shot in a way that truly transports you to that period, an accomplishment A24 does quite often. I would say that A24 did what Netflix and Stranger Things have been trying to do four the past for years when adding in the retro-feel, where it seems forced, but in The Iron Claw, it comes off naturally.
This film was an emotional gut punch as much as it was a 1980s nostalgia run. The tragic story of David passing away from an overdose, along with Mike and Kerry committing suicide tugs on the heartstrings of the viewer. A24 actually had to cut one of the brothers, Chris, and his story out of the movie to save time and make the movie “more realistic,” which is crazy to think about when you realize Chris was not able to succeed in the wrestling business like his brothers and ended up committing suicide.
As a wrestling fan who has caught up with the modern era as much as my homework, and is knowledgeable about the early 2000s portion of the sport, The Iron Claw was an enjoyable experience. Learning about the upstart of professional wrestling is very intriguing to me as I noticed many familiar names such as “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Ric Flair. I learned that WWE wasn’t America’s first great wrestling promotion, but rather the NWA, which doesn’t even crack the top five wrestling programs of the modern era. It’s amazing to see the ways that the company has adapted to the times and survived for many decades.
