The Iron Claw is a true story told through the movie-making magical skills of director Sean Durkin and brought to life by a career-defining performance from Zac Efron. The movie has landed on Amazon Prime Video, making it free to view for anyone with a subscription and also making this a must-watch.
If the 94 per cent average viewer-rating on Rotten Tomatoes isn't enough to draw your attention, then the 1980s spray tans, classic wrestling outfits and retro fun should help. It may be based on reality but the depiction feels like a caricature of itself – yet perhaps it is closer to the reality of the wrestling family that is the subject of this movie than you might imagine.
The movie is based on the early 1980s wrestling careers of the Von Erich family, four Texan boys born to a wrestling father who instilled a toxic masculinity that drove them to win. All exciting and fun enough – but there is a dark twist, with a family curse mentioned several times which plays out as the movie progresses.
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Powerful performances
To call the acting performances of Zac Efron and The Bear's Jeremy Allen White powerful is selling them short. Both give totally immersive acting efforts, but it is quite apparent from their physical forms that each had been putting in the work for a long time in the lead-up to the shooting itself.
Each actor has affected the muscular and toned look of the wrestlers of that time – perhaps bodybuilders would be more accurate. Either way, you can feel how committed they are to the roles and it's impressive to watch their wrestling moves which never feel anything less than professional.
You don't have to like wrestling, or even know anything about it, to enjoy this movie. It tells the tale of family, of competition, success, failure and loss – with plenty more besides – that draws you in to their world in a captivating, thoroughly entertaining way, much like the wrestling careers they aim to perfect.
A dark turn
While this is a movie filled with life and vibrancy, it does take that dark turn referenced above. The family curse starts to take real effect, and how to deal with that is taken as yet another challenge to overcome. This makes for a fantastic plot line and some really interesting exploration of the character from Efron; it's almost not believable, it's so much. This is based on a true story, however, and stays very close to actual events – so expect to be emotionally moved.
You may find yourself getting lost in the rich visuals, well-executed wrestling matches or the sun-tanned scenes of American country life. But there is a dark reality underlying it all about toxic masculinity and the family curse being blamed for something that perhaps is being perpetuated and caused by that toxicity.
This is a fantastic blend of story and message with a reality that is frankly hard to hold, but a real experience to watch.
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