Grade: B-
The Iron Claw is about the Von Erichs – a family of six. Four sons. Originally five, but one died very young. And actually, in real life, there was yet another son/brother (Chris) – not included in the movie. I give the film a lot of credit for drilling those names into our heads enough that we can name all of them without confusion, but not so much that it’s annoying. Bodies Bodies Bodies was another one with a large ensemble that also did a great job with this.
The brothers we meet are Kevin (Zac Efron, buff and bulked up), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White from Shameless), David (Harris Dickinson from Scrapper, Triangle of Sadness, See How They Run, and Where the Crawdads Sing), and Mike (Stanley Simons). They are following in their old man’s footsteps, as their dad (Holt McCallany) was a professional wrestler who never managed to win that coveted belt. The movie’s title comes from a move he was famous for, where he would form his fingers like a claw and press down on his opponents’ head or face. Now it’s up to Kevin, Kerry, David, and Mike to have a little healthy rivalry to see which one of them can become the next heavyweight champion.
In an almost all-white cast with only two women (except for bit parts and extras), I’d like to highlight them. They are tremendous. British actress Lily James (Yesterday, Darkest Hour, Baby Driver) is spunky with a spot-on Southern accent as Pam, Kevin’s girlfriend and eventual wife. It’s not the greatest-developed character in the world – she is quickly and obligatorily handed to us on a silver platter as the obvious Movie Love Interest – but she is a stand-out. And holding everything down at home is Maura Tierney (Jim Carrey’s wife in Liar Liar) as the matriarch of the Von Erich family. She brings a lot of texture to the role.
A series of unfortunate events happens within the family, and I do mean a series. If it weren’t for the fact that this is based on a true story, it would be almost comical how the Von Erichs seem to have the worst luck ever. Tragic things just KEEP happening, like soap opera conflicts being checked off the list one by one. Eventually, the sadness no longer landed for me, and I kept zeroing in on the craft and the filmmaking instead of caring about what was going on.
There is a fair amount that I liked in The Iron Claw. It’s well-filmed, and the actors have a convincing family dynamic. But when I started feeling it systematically trek down the tearjerking Terms of Endearment route, that’s when I checked out, emotionally distanced myself, and just sat there appreciating the technical stuff instead of being affected by the story. Is The Iron Claw for you? Let me ask you this: had you previously heard about the Von Erich story?
Grade: B-
Film Reviews by Mark 
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