‘The Iron Claw’ movie review: ripped-beyond-belief Zac Efron impresses in tragic wrestling tale
Honestly, Zac Efron is so goddamn ripped in The Iron Claw that it feels at points as though the soft-faced boy he once was in High School Musical might burst out of his granite solid abs and start dancing and singing as though his new bodybuilder’s physique was just a mirage. But, alas, the sheer size of the man is a reality and that one-time boyish face now features a jaw that could only have ever been carved from the farthest climbs of Mount Olympus.
It appears that Efron’s physicality is no mere instance of vanity in this film, though, for it’s representative of a masculine belief that physical strength might conquer tragedy and emotional trauma. Spoiler alert: it can’t. Sean Durkin’s feature is based on the life of American professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich (played by Efron) and his famous wrestling family.
Deluded and emotionally neglectful patriarch and former wrestler Jack ‘Fritz’ Von Erich (Holt McCallany) casts a persistent shadow over his four sons, wrestlers Kevin and David (Harris Dickinson), prospective Olympian turned wrestler Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and musician and wrestler at the sheer insistence and pressure of his father Mike (Stanley Simmons). There’s an air of unreality that comes from the words of Fritz, indicative perhaps of his affinity for the fake-but-real world of wrestling itself, and his dream of bringing back a world wrestling championship title into the Von Erich home is the fatal consequence of his good-hearted and closely-bonded sons.
There’s a genuine enjoyment from the film’s first half in the typical sense of a sports drama: the triumphs, the montages, the downfalls. When the genuine tragedy of the narrative strikes, the two hours 20 minutes runtime can tend to feel slightly unnecessary, especially when such tragedy seems to stack on top of yet more tragedy, added to the somewhat unreal quality of this biographical drama.
Efron’s physique can border on the ridiculously big, say, in moments when he comes through a doorway practically sideways in the shortest denim shorts Texas has ever seen. But the actor, once limited to romance and comedy, has proven his change in performative director once again with an effort of nuanced emotion. Kevin is not merely a human ball of muscle but is a complex athlete neglected by his parents, an issue that naturally affects his relationship with his brothers and wife, and Efron is good value to deliver such imperative moments.
The wrestling moments themselves are commendable if typical of sports movies in general, and there’s a sly humour indicative of wrestling itself that provides a welcome refresh to the several tear-jerking moments that arrive later. Harris Dickinson is just as impressive as the allure of Efron and White, continuing his ascent on the back of Triangle of Sadness and Scrapper.
The Iron Claw might lack the drama of Darren Aronofsky’s excellent The Wrestler, even though its truth-based story is indeed moving and dramatic in its own right. However, it’s a welcome addition to the culture and history of the sport of wrestling and indicates the serious turn that Zac Efron just might have been capable of all this time.
Check out the trailer for The Iron Claw below.
