When I was a kid, I watched a lot of wrestling. Sometimes, the various regional groups were smaller and focused on a specific area of the country like Texas. World Class Championship Wrestling made a deal with ESPN, and that’s where I would watch them each week. This is where the Von Erichs cut their teeth. Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) made the famous wrestling move “The Iron Claw ” famous. He was the matriarch of this famous family, and that’s the name of the film about them.

After Fritz’s prime had passed, he got his sons Kevin (Zac Efron) David (Harris Dickinson) and Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) into the business of wrestling. They all had successful runs in the wrestling business, but this royal wrestling family was more famous for their curse. This film depicts the tragic history of this family, and it wasn’t easy to watch at times.

Sean Durkin has done a few interesting films such as Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest among them. The Iron Claw is a biopic that is different from his other films. He had to get to the bottom of who these people were. Even though their lives were broadcast on television for everyone to see. That’s a hard line to balance. For the most part, he gets to the bottom of who these people are with just a hint of comedic moments that weren’t genuine. 

With this film being a period piece set mostly in the 70s and 80s, there is a look and feel that is distinctive to what the movie is going for. Cut-off shorts, tank tops, and long hair were all the rage during this era of the country. That’s where I felt some of the choices that were made in this regard didn’t work for me. The looks of some of the characters and the casting of one specific character didn’t work at all. 

The cast is very good, though other than that one person who played a key wrestling figure, Ric Flair. This character was completely miscast by Durkin. This actor was more comedy releaf than legitimate acting performances. Efron, as Kevin Von Erich, was the heart of the film. Brought a lot of emotion to his character. His relationship with his girlfriend and eventual wife Pam (Lily James) is the best part of the film. They had an up-and-down love affair due to the struggles Kevin had with dealing with the family curse.  White as Kerry was also good, he didn’t have enough screen time for my liking. Neither did Harris Dickinson. 

Biopics have to get to the crux of the subject matter the filmmaker is depicting right. That’s the main part of a biopic. These people were complex, even though they were a wrestling family. As a lot of people know, wrestling isn’t an easy business, and a lot of wrestlers get wrapped up in alcohol and drug addiction. This family was no different. The added thing is there is an overbearing father figure element that makes the story a little bit straightforward. These aspects are typical of biopics. 

The Iron Claw was a biopic that ran down a lot of the moments of this  wrestling family quite straightforwardly. It hit on most of the struggles and tragedies that this family went through. The key moments were right there, but anybody could have looked this family up and seen those anyway. This biopic doesn’t tread any new ground that others haven’t already tread before. The acting from most of the cast was solid with one supporting cast member who wasn’t that good from perspective. The production design and look and feel of the movie were mostly good. This was a good biopic, not a great biopic. I don’t feel like this is an awards contender at all.

3 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen