The Iron Claw

When they announced “The Iron Claw” a while back I thought that this would be your typical sports drama but I was once again proven wrong! “The Iron Claw” tells the true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports. 

What makes this film so good and touching are Durkin’s direction here and the writing. Sean Durkin puts everything into this movie. He approaches the story of the Von Erichs in a very respectful and beautiful way which I really appreciate. How he showed those tragedies and told their story made me appreciate it even more. There are so many deep and emotional layers stacked here that will certainly leave you in tears. There’s one particular scene that I don’t want to spoil that made me love Durkin’s approach here. It was heartbreaking, emotional, and quite depressing. What held all this together was Zac Effron’s performance. This is a career-best from  Efron and I’m happy he’s back on the big screen! Whether it was his physique or his performance Effron delivered on all fronts. Praise should also go to Harris Dickinson and Jeremy Allan White for their phenomenal performances.

Finally, I would like to praise the fighting sequences. Make no mistake, they are no "Creed 3" but they do a very good job at showing the brutality in the ring. All in all, I would absolutely recommend watching “The Iron Claw”. It’s without a doubt one of the best films of 2023!