Review: The Iron Claw

Image courtesy of A2.

A public saga that is rivaled only by the Kennedys' in terms of suffering and loss, Sean Durkin's "The Iron Claw" tells the story of the Von Erich clan, a wrestling dynasty from Texas that was, at one point, considered the future of pro-wrestling until tragedy struck again and again.

The film opens with a wrestling match involving Fritz Von Erlich (Holt McCallany), the clan's patriarch, and an opponent during which Fritz mercilessly employs the titular technique to the other man's face. It is a bit of foreshadowing as to how little feeling Fritz has. If he won't spare his family from cruelty, it's no surprise that he won't go lightly on an opponent in the ring.

Years later, Fritz is bitter because he has long been ignored by the wrestling world and puts an absurd amount of pressure on his four sons to win the championship title that eluded him. He explains to his sons that the title is basically a political thing since wrestling is staged; therefore, those who display great showmanship and are willing to make good with the wrestling federation have a shot at the title.

First in line is Kevin Von Erlich, the good-hearted older brother, who wants the title but not as much as he merely hopes to enjoy time in the ring with his brothers. If given the choice between the two, he'd pick the latter. Kevin is portrayed by Zac Efron in a career-high performance. Even when the other characters in the film go off the rails, Efron's portrayal of this complex and kind-natured character keeps the film grounded. He also has a sweet romance with a young woman named Pam (Lily James), whom he ends up marrying.

David (Harris Dickinson) is the showier brother, a tall and lean wrestler who displays great showmanship in the ring. Fritz's cruelty is on full display when he chooses David for the title shot over his older brother and then proceeds to rub salt in the wound. Jeremy Allen White is Kerry, a near-Olympic medalist whose career goes into a tailspin when President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States won't participate in the games due to Russia's involvement in Afghanistan. Kerry is the self-destructive brother who shines bright briefly.

From a character standpoint, the brother who is, perhaps, most interesting is shy and quiet Mike (Stanley Simons), the youngest brother who is glad to mostly go ignored by his father (at one point, Fritz even lists the brothers in terms of which one is his favorite) and concentrate on his music. There's a nice scene when the boys' mother (Maura Tierney, in a slightly underwritten role) refuses to let Mike play a gig and the other three and Pam help to sneak him out.

"The Iron Claw" is a well-made family saga that's superficially about wrestling, but is more interesting when it focuses on the family dynamic that slowly but surely begins to crumble. Efron's Kevin blames the family's numerous woes - the film's second half feels like one tragedy after the next - on a curse, although it's likely that the only thing plaguing these boys is that they have a tyrant for a father. Tierney's mother isn't as cruel, but she makes a point of not coming to anyone's rescue.

Durkin's films often focus on dark and compelling stories such as the cult thriller "Martha Marcy May Marlene" and the very good "The Nest." His latest is a bigger budget drama but it still has a lot of nice touches, most of which are quieter moments among the various characters -for example, the aforementioned scene in which the sibling sneak Mike to his concert, a scene in which Pam flirts with Kevin at a restaurant, and a heart to heart between Kevin and David in a bathroom during the former's wedding. This is a fairly bleak film, so these moments go a long way in piercing the otherwise funereal air. All in all, this is a solid film.