Wrestling is real. Sure, the routines may be preordained with a story that’s essentially a soap opera. That doesn’t mean the physical toll is fake, however. The Iron Claw is just as much about the mental toll. If you’re familiar with the “Von Erich curse,” you know that more than one figure in this sports biopic won’t live to see the final round. While every Von Erich takes damage in the ring, it’s the outside pressure that casts a grim shadow over the family. Wrestling didn’t destroy the Von Erichs. It was an inability to communicate that sealed their fate.
Zac Efron could have a career akin to Mark Wahlberg’s. Just as Wahlberg made the transition from Marky Mark to serious actor, Efron erases his teen idol past as Kevin Von Erich. He puts on enough muscle to make two Troy Boltons, but it’s the vulnerability that Efron brings to Kevin that makes his performance stand out. Kevin is the oldest of his brothers, the charismatic David (Harris Dickinson), the Olympics-bound Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and the reserved Mike (Stanley Simons). Technically, Kevin is the oldest living sibling, as his eldest brother died when they were kids. Family patriarch Fritz (Holt McCallany) believes he can protect his sons by pushing them to be the best, instead pushing them past their limits.
Although the Von Erichs are a wrestling family, Fritz isn’t depicted as a physically abusive father. He doesn’t even raise his voice, but his boys are under a constant strain to continue the family business. Fritz is only half joking when he ranks his sons from favorite to least favorite with youngest Mike in last place. Wanting to be a musician and lacking the physicality to make it in the ring, Mike carries the bulk of the torment. As well-built as Kevin is, he can’t bring himself to tell his father to go easy on his brother. The most he can do is confront his mother (Maura Tierney), who’s too passive to intervene.
Although Kevin’s appearance is imposing, Efron depicts him as a shy soul afraid to speak up, and not just to his dad. When the lovely Pam (Lily James) approaches him, she has to handle the asking-out part. Their romance provides a bright spot in an often devastating true story about the dark reality of wrestling. The superstitious may insist that the so-called “Von Erich curse” is real. Considering how many professional wrestlers die prematurely, though, the odds were always stacked against them. The Iron Claw was the family’s signature move, but the film’s title can just as easily be construed as the firm grip that Fritz has on his sons.
Director Sean Durkin has crafted a downbeat yet powerful story about the price of toxic masculinity. As intense as the wrestling choreography is, The Iron Claw is a surprisingly quiet, meditated exploration of mental health. It’s also an effective family drama where the sound of silence proves more fatal than a body slam. Wrestlers may come off as the most confident performers on the planet. Behind the abs, spandex, and trash talk, though, you may find the world bearing down on them. Sometimes, the strongest thing anybody can do is admit that they’re not invincible. Unfortunately, many would die before seeking help.