I’ll get the obvious right out of the way, The Iron Claw was robbed.
While sports documentaries are often ripe pickings for Oscar nominations, the one I think most deserving of positive recognition hasn’t garnered any, or really any attention at all. The Iron Claw tells the true story of the Von Erich brothers, Kevin, David, Kerry, and Mike (Chris was omitted as the writers assumed the tragedy that befell all the brothers would be too much for audiences to comprehend, and I believe too much for audiences to bear) and their careers in professional wrestling. Advertising for this movie was minimum, or so it was to me, someone who stays off all social media besides Instagram and only follows Grace van Dien and Skeet Ulrich, so maybe they didn’t think I was the target audience. But how wrong they were – for as much as I don’t like anything sports related, save for baseball, I am a huge fan of 80s camp.
And what is professional wrestling in the 80s besides camp? I am very familiar with Ric Flair and Rowdy Roddy Piper, and actually love watching old interviews with them and the like. So when word of The Iron Claw finally reached me, I was intrigued. And when I saw the film was heavily emphasizing star Zac Efron, I was sold – I cried when that man got his star on the Walk of Fame. Incredibly talented and massively overlooked, Efron has comedic timing that rivals anyone you would likely call a great. There is a reason Neighbors is one of my comfort movies, and it’s mostly because of his & Dave Franco’s banter back and forth. Put them in more things together, Hollywood, I beg of you.
Efron is Kevin Von Erich, the only remaining living Von Erich brother, and he gives the performance of a lifetime. While I’ve seen him do dramatic roles before, the writing of the project has always been questionable at best and atrocious at worst (Charlie St. Cloud and Extremely Wicked, I am looking at you). However, the most frustrating thing about the other two projects is that Efron is still really good in them. He constantly is giving heart wrenching performances in shit that doesn’t deserve them. (Like, were we supposed to feel bad for Ted Bundy? What was the narrative structure of the shark drawing scene? WHY DID THEY IMPLY SOMEONE WAS STALKING HIM?!) Watching a good actor consistently be cast in bad films is an exercise in patience for any fan, especially when the actor is the best part of these piles of garbage. The Iron Claw is a good story, told lovingly and respectfully towards the Von Erich brothers who have passed on. Kevin had a huge hand in crafting the narrative of the film, and clearly helped Zac channel one of the best performances in the movie.
On paper, Efron is fighting an uphill battle with a complicated role – Kevin clearly is hurting the most, losing his brothers and his sense of stability in rapid blow after blow, all while trying to maintain the stoicism and steadfastness he believes he should have as the older brother. Kevin does not get a lot of scenes to breakdown, or be vulnerable, so this all needs to be communicated to the audience in very subtle ways. Efron is the perfect vehicle to communicate this, and the emotions he conveys in his eyes alone is enough to convey the constant sea of pain Kevin is constantly in. Jeremy Allen White is Kerry Von Erich, an Olympian who never gets a chance and joins the brothers as a third on their wrestling team, and as a contrast to his brother is consistently giving into his emotions – he yells when he’s frustrated, when he’s hurt, both physically and emotionally. Kerry feels like a raw nerve, an outlet for the pain the other brothers feel and keep to themselves.
Efron and White play beautifully off of each other, with Kevin’s frustrated and waning stoicism being broken down by Kerry’s outward anger. Both of them struggle to communicate what they need, which is made even more difficult by the lingering presence of their father Fritz, who demands the boys be champions to break the “Von Erich curse”. Fritz is such a domineering character with fleeting moments of humanity, and based on record made life exceedingly difficult for his sons, yet the cruelest scene, I believe, goes to the mother. Kevin timidly goes to ask her for help in getting Fritz to lay off of Mike, the youngest Von Erich brother and the least inclined to wrestling. The mother then turns to him and tells him to work it out between themselves, and leaves it at that. The scene hardly lingers for more than a moment longer, but I believe this perfectly emphasizes the complicated situation these boys were left in, without a map, while simply being told to “figure it out”.
All of the acting in this is superb, and the writing is tight, trying to paint an accurate picture while also honoring that Kevin wanted to pay a loving tribute to all members of his family, even those that may not have deserved it. Watching this film, I was moved to tears multiple times, and White as Kerry gives such an emotional performance yet it was Efron’s performance that got me. Perhaps it’s that I’m an oldest sibling, or that I’ve been told to hold in my emotions for most of my life, but watching someone struggle so much while saying nothing is something that resonates with myself and a lot of people I know. Conveying pain while pretending you’re fine is an art, and one that is exceptionally difficult to convey through film, yet Efron mirrors something that I think so many of us experience, especially when dealing with family trauma.
I have watched this film multiple times, and each new viewing, I am made angrier by the fact that Efron, and this entire cast, writing team, and director, got no recognition. This is a biopic that does so much more than the average biopic in that it tells the truth, and despite all of the tragedy, it still tries to end with some sense of hope for the future. This was a movie that beyond wrestling, captured what it was like to live in a dysfunctional family where there was no villain, just pain and unresolved trauma. While I believe this film will stand the test of time, and can agree that the Oscars as a whole are circlejerk of ‘you’re great’, ‘no, YOU’RE great’, I want Efron to be taken seriously as an actor because it’s what he deserves. I want the rest of his peers to not feel, but know, he is a force to be reckoned with, and he is not just the abs guy from High School Musical.
Put him in, Coach Bolton, he’s ready.
On a serious but happier note, this film is not for the faint of heart and I wouldn’t suggest it if you are not emotionally prepared for the emotional turmoil this film will put you through. However, if you are in a good headspace and want to watch, I would highly recommend The Iron Claw, a film which deserves far more recognition than it has received, very similar to the subject matter of the film.
And if you are looking for someone to root for, I believe Efron is the guy for you.