Mini Film Review – The Iron Claw

Yesterday I watched The Iron Claw; and it was very, very, sad! Directed by Sean Durkin, and starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson; The Iron Claw is a biographical sports drama, which tells the real life, and tragic story, of the Von Erich Family of Professional Wrestlers, through the 1980’s. I am not a die hard wrestling fan as much as I used to be, but I do like to learn more about the history of Wrestling, Wrestlers, and Events throughout the years. But when it came to the Von Erichs, I didn’t know much until I saw this film. I knew of the Iron Claw finishing move, as well as stories of great tragedy that surrounds the family name. This film does take it’s time to setup the whole vision, and you can find yourself looking at the clock to see how much time has gone by; but this setup is incredibly important. It sets up two key points: the seemingly unbreakable and supportive bond between the four brothers, and also the rather domineering presence of their emotionally absent, one track minded father (Holt McCallany). As the one hour mark arrives, we see the early struggles that will eventually lead to tragedy, but we also get this incredibly happy vision of the brothers dancing, and enjoying life. But this vision is not meant to last, as tragedy comes one after the other, after another, and so on, and so forth. The dancing scene is a happy vission, but it makes the following hour all the more painful. And as the film reaches it’s climax, well, there’s barely a happy ending in sight, more just a revelation, leading to a nice family moment, to carry the characters forward; to a hopefully happier tomorrow. It is one of the saddest films I have seen in a long time; and it achieves this by setting up a happy life, only to take it all away, in a never ending run of falling dominoes!