Casual wrestling fans may only know about the biggest names in the industry like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.
But in Texas during the ’80s, no one was bigger or more over with the crowds than the Von Erich family.
Director Sean Durkin‘s film, The Iron Claw, is inspired by the true story of the Von Erichs and the tragedies that shattered them.
Now that The Iron Claw is on Prime Video, it’s Watch With Us‘ pick for the one movie you need to watch this weekend.
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‘The Iron Claw’ Recaptures the Spirit of Wrestling in the ’80s
This film only had a $15.9 million budget, so it couldn’t fully recreate the spectacle of World Class Championship Wrestling at the Sportatorium or Texas Stadium. Instead, The Iron Claw aimed to recapture the spirit of professional wrestling in Texas. In the era before everyone knew that professional wrestling was scripted and fake, the Von Erichs were treated like real-life superheroes. The crowds in Dallas and all over Texas couldn’t get enough of them.
Although they aren’t big players in this film, wrestling legends Ric Flair (Aaron Dean Eisenberg), Michael P.S. Hayes (Brady Pierce), Bruiser Brody (Cazzey Louis Cereghino), The Sheik (Chavo Guerrero Jr.), Harley Race (Kevin Anton) and Gino Hernandez (Ryan Nemeth) are all present in the movie. Those names may not mean much to anyone who doesn’t love wrestling, but modern professional wrestling owes a great deal to all of those trailblazers.
The Cast Give Terrific Performances as the Von Erichs
There are two standouts among the cast of The Iron Claw: Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich and Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich. They played the most famous Von Erich brothers, and the ones who left the biggest mark on the industry. Efron and White have to do a lot of the heavy lifting for the film’s most dramatic scenes, and they bring out the inner emotions of Kevin and Kerry.
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Holt McCallany is also fantastic as their father, Jack “Fritz” Von Erich, the man who pushed his sons to follow in his footsteps as wrestlers. Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons deserve recognition as well for their portrayal of the other Von Erich brothers, David Von Erich and Mike Von Erich, respectively. They may have had limited screen time compared to Efron and White, but they made the most out of what they had to work with.
‘The Iron Claw’ Is a Profoundly Sad Yet Hopeful Movie
Some critics have described The Iron Claw as an anti-sports sports movie, because this isn’t a story about a triumph over adversity. Instead, the Von Erichs are trapped in a series of heartbreaking tragedies that shatter their wrestling legacy and leave the ones they leave behind dealing with sorrow and despair.
There are so many bad things that happened to the Von Erichs that the film actually excluded the fifth brother, Chris Von Erich, from the narrative and gave some of his story to Mike. Everything that went down led to talk about a Von Erich curse, and it’s easy to see why people would attribute their downfall to something like that. The truth is more complex, but The Iron Claw manages to end on a hopeful note for the last of the Von Erich brothers. It’s not the happiest ending, but it’s a ray of sunshine compared to the endless gloom of their lives.
The Iron Claw is streaming on Prime Video.
