In terms of audience response, and box-office, Hollywood sports dramas
don’t always travel well across the Atlantic. The Wrestler in 2008 garnered
some of the best reviews of Mickey Rourke’s career but hardly had the cash
tills wringing in cinemas. Sadly I wouldn’t be surprised if The Iron Claw
suffers the same fate. Zac Efron will no doubt be rightly praised for his
outstanding performance but, like The Wrestler, this nitch film could
struggle to find an audience.
The Iron Claw tells the story of the Von Erich brothers who, spurred on by
their domineering father (Holt McCallany) in the late 70’s early 80s, won
numerous titles in the competitive world of professional wrestling.
The Erich brothers are four in total, three take up their fathers interest
in wrestling, Zac Efron is Kevin Von Erich, Jeremey Allen White is Kerry
and Harris Dickinson is David, whilst the fourth brother Mike (Stanley
Simons) is, much to his father’s disgust, more interested in music.
Director Sean Durkin, whose last film was the underrated The Nest in 2020,
really struggles to bring any feeling of drama to his story. Yes the
brothers all have their own tragic stories but the tension is often broken
by the numerous fight scenes that pepper the film.
Much like the Wrestler, which is remembered for Mickey Rourke’s
performance, The Iron Claw will more than likely be remembered for its lead
actors performance and not much more than that.
