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Disclaimer* The following review discusses the topic of self harm and suicide if you or anyone you know is in need of help call 1-800-273-8255

Do curses exists? Are some of us truly doomed or have we been led to believe that any predetermination is just a mask covering up our pain as we look for some sort of higher energy to excuse ourselves from self-reflection. Tragedy exists all around us and while we look for reasons for this the greatest pain can be, that the source of it all comes sometimes from ourselves and often times from those we love the most. Therefore we try to find ways to deviate or release the pain often and even more so often this is done through physical excursion. Enter the world of entertainment wrestling. A weekly soap opera where men and women don tight spandex shorts and clobber one another on the mat all accompanied by silly names and even sillier attitudes. For anyone who has grown up on wrestling (regardless of the era) knows and loves the showmanship that comes with the sport. Ignoring the scripted playout and instead accepting the stage play quality of what we are about to see. A world and storyline so dramatic that let’s be honest if Shakespeare was around today even the Bard himself would get a hoot out of people like the McMahon family. So those who know or grew up with wrestling then must know the Von Erichs. A Dallas Texas wrestling dynasty riddled in tragedy that much like the scripted fights feels almost predetermined. A family rooted in so much pain that every move they throw onto others feels like a lashing out against the world and not their opponent. The sons, Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris were world known and their legendary move (created by their father Fritz) the Iron Claw became a thing of legend. A curled hand that feels more like a bear’s claw than human skin reaches out for your face presses down and digs into your skin leaving you defenseless. If only the boys exhibiting the move felt as strong. THE IRON CLAW, Sean Durkin’s latest film named after the infamous move, is an American tragedy delicately told through explosive performances and a tender script of male pain and aggression. It is the ultimate “check on your friends once this ends” movie that even amongst its heartbreak will have you cheering on these men long after it ends and far beyond the ring.

It is never easy being a heel. In the wrestling world the heel is the designated villain, the adversary to steal the coveted champion of the world belt away from the underdog hero with good American boy quality. For Fritz Von Erich (a tremendous Holt McCallany) being the heel meant no belt, no fame and no championship. An anger and vengeance carried onto his four sons Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson) and Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and Mike (Stanley Simons), Fritz rules his family and his wife Doris (Maura Tierney) with a dare I say it iron claw. (Note* the film chooses to omit the youngest brother Chris who himself was a wrestler who passed tragically by suicide). The boys may be close and share a wonderful and often charming brother bond, but any love or respect is thrown out the door once father gets involved. THE IRON CLAW wants us to know early on that the boys personal success means little in the household. To Fritz everything is a family affair and their status is temporary. As Fritz claims that David is his favorite follows it up with a “the ranking can always change” letting them know leave your gushy love for one another at the door, this family is a business and you must always fight to stay on top. The boys (mostly Kevin and David) have entered the wrestling world while Kerry is off training and waiting for the 1980 summer Olympics (history and the film will soon remind you this events were eventually boycotted due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan). But even once Kerry’s hometown arrival occurs nothing changes for these boys. Their ring moves may be stellar, but at home its all competition and Fritz is the referee, jury and executioner. Durkin’s script and directing is patient throughout, and while the actual sporting events may be frequent and often sped through (or in this case montaged through) the film allows us to know their skills early on that way it can focus on those moments between where the real pain and bruises show. There is always a ton of talk of movies taking on toxic masculinity, but any discussion of that here feels misguided from a viewers point whereas the film is far more focused on young men who couldn’t be braver or kinder, but are dealt with a home life that is far too extreme to allow them to know any such love or protection a parent should provide. Efron as Kevin may be the most aware of his own pain and torment but scenes where he goes to his mother for guidance only to have her pass it off and treat it as common behavior is unsettling as it is authentic.

THE IRON CLAW knows its frustration will be obvious in that there are far too many moments where you the audience will want to reach out and let these boys know they are loved, but thankfully this tragic story is not bombarded with heartbreak after heartbreak. This comes down to its pitch perfect ensemble. Efron an actor whose growth can basically be shown on a graph, doesn’t strip away his Wildcats days but rather embodies that same charm that made him a household name and shows the aftermath of fame and constant drilling of routine and precision. There comes a point where pushing yourself to the limit feels endless and Efron as Kevin goes beyond that. A redefining career role as not just a brother carrying most of his family’s pain, but also a man learning to move on his own no matter the weight keeping him from going forward. Maybe that is why once Pam (Lily James) enters his world that love he has always sought comes crashing down in ways that terrify him. Lily James in a role that could have been quite thankless extends an emotional grip onto not just Kevin, but his brothers as the wife, sister, and mother these boys never had due to complete refusal from their mother. And as great of a showcase this is for Efron, CLAW truly screams out ensemble. Dickinson and Allen White who have quickly made names for themselves continue to shine as backbones to every project they enter, but one of the most exciting gems is newcomer Stanley Simons as Mike. Playing the youngest brother Simons is able to be the childlike wonder of the film that still sees wrestling and his own passion as the excitement they truly are. A scene involving Mike playing with his band at a local college feels less tragedy sports bio and more Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some!” in fact Durkin’s directing carries some of that same delight that made Linklater a Texas goody two shoes boy director. These moments and dare I say a wedding scene that felt like the mini Texas version of the Deer Hunter gives you time to remember amongst everything this is still a film less about the whole family and more about brothers who love one another when that love is rarely dished out anywhere else.

Here is a film that will not only reignite your childhood love for wrestling it is practically begging you to pull out those old Kim’s Video’s VHS tapes of not just the Von Erichs, but also the Fabulous Freebirds, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Rocky Johnson and of course Ric Flair. In fact Flair himself appearing (portrayed by a spot on Aaron Dean Eisenberg) allows the film to still keep its history in tact while also using the flamboyant woo-er as a moment of clarity for Kevin displaying both Efron’s grand performance through small gestures as well as Durkin’s own excitement and understanding of what makes this sport so exciting. But this is not a film full of moments of levity for its characters, instead THE IRON CLAW carefully subjects its viewers to tragic events that never forget the notion that far too many people (especially men) feel forced to keep their feelings inside even to this day. For a time where we preach about our concern and care for mental health the suicide rate is still rising in middle aged men and bullshit jokes such as the ongoing “men would rather…then go to therapy” still covers the timelines. This isn’t to say that THE IRON CLAW is preaching the obstacles men face nor is it taking sides, but it is certainly expressing the difficulty of expressing ones emotions in ways outside of physical movement. Durkin’s script and its true story inspiration shows us a group of men that feel the only way out is to end any and all physical and mental pain and the methods to go about it are not easy to watch, but they try to find that discussion afterwards of “maybe he is at peace” while also combating the idea that I should have done more, but what exactly? It is not a question with any answer nor should it be, but rather the film chooses to be aware of the reality even if others forget once its credits roll.

Curses most likely do not exists and if they do I doubt they choose Texas bred wrestlers. The sport itself carries enough pain both real and fiction (this film would make the saddest triple feature paired with “The Wrestler” and “Foxcatcher”). But nonetheless THE IRON CLAW knows the fear one begins to reflect on when tragedy after tragedy occurs, even amongst success in other aspects. This is a sports film after all and the Von Erichs have been inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame, so in other words the success and talent is always remembered. No trophy or honor can make one move on from the loss of family, and films like THE IRON CLAW may be a mere reminder for some rather than cathartic energy. But it is a film that refuses the “always get back up” mentality of other great sports films and instead wants us to know that when we fall its okay to stay down for a while but please ask others to sit with you for you to can understand if you are going to get back up, make sure somebody is waiting to love you once you stand.

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THE IRON CLAW WILL BE RELEASED IN THEATERS ON DECEMBER 22