The Iron Claw

Based on real events, The Iron Claw follows the Von Erich brothers, including Zac Efron’s Kevin and Jeremy Allen White’s Kerry, as they attempt to step out of their father’s (Holt McCallany’s Fritz) imposing shadow. Filmmaker Sean Durkin, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a deliberate yet absorbing drama that does, at the outset, come off as a fairly standard biopic, as the movie charts the continuing exploits of, predominately, Efron’s character through the competitive world of wrestling – with the impact of the film’s first half heightened by Mátyás Erdély’s lush cinematography and Efron’s impressively (and shockingly) subtle, sympathetic performance. There’s little doubt, then, that The Iron Claw benefits from a progressively tragic and morose midsection that often packs an unexpectedly potent punch, and while the picture is, at 132 minutes, palpably overlong, it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of a third act focused on Kevin’s efforts at continuing on in the face of multiple tragedies – with the tear-jerking climax, in the end, cementing the film’s place as a top-tier true-life tale.

***1/2 out of ****