The Iron Claw is a stunning love letter to—and indictment of—professional wrestling

The Iron Claw. // Courtesy A24

Spoiler alert up top: it turns out “the Von Erich curse” isn’t some supernatural case of generational bad juju. The true source of it is as common as mud and just as messy: toxic masculinity.

The Iron Claw is writer-director Sean Durkin’s exploration of the Von Erich family, which helped form the backbone of professional wrestling in the days before WWE. It’s a beautiful and tragic tale of familial trauma that’s in line with Durkin’s past work—Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest—while also being a satisfying nostalgia trip through the early years of pro wrestling. Think The Wrestler meets Raging Bull as imagined by Richard Linklater (if that combination doesn’t immediately sound appealing to you, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can be friends).

Kevin Von Erich (Zach Efron) is the oldest son of a second-generation wrestling dynasty. His dad Fritz (Holt McCallany) was previously a pro wrestler and helps run World Class Championship Wrestling, the wrestling league that, years later, Kevin would sell to the fledgling WWE. Fritz has raised all his kids to enter the business, with the exception of first son Jack Jr., who died as a child in a tragic accident.

Kevin is already a wrestler by the time we meet him. Shortly after he’s joined by David (Harris Dickinson), who possesses charisma in the ring that the introverted Kevin can’t quite match. Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) is poised to be an olympic athlete, but loses his shot when America boycotts the 1980 Moscow games. He enters the family business as well. 

The youngest Von Erich, sensitive musician Mike (Stanley Simons) is clearly also destined for the squared circle whether he likes it or not. He’s certainly not getting any help from matriarch Doris (Maura Tierney) who offers only empty insistence that the boys and their father should work out any disagreements among themselves.

Kevin’s concern over Fritz’s harsh treatment of Mike is an early indicator of the conflict that drives The Iron Claw. Fritz sees wrestling as the family’s legacy, and is tough on his sons as a result. Kevin simply sees it as a way to spend time with his brothers, who he loves more than anything. He worries that their dad’s attitude is pushing his siblings in unhealthy directions, seeking love from a man who refuses to give it unconditionally. 

The Iron Claw. // Courtesy A24

Of course, Kevin’s instinct is right on the money. As the boys work toward the WCCW’s heavyweight championship—a career distinction that eluded their father—physical injury, burnout, depression and substance abuse inevitably follow. Kevin narrowly escapes the same fate only because of Pam (Lily James), the no-nonsense woman who becomes his wife, and the family they start together.

Durkin reteams with The Nest collaborators Mátyás Erdély (cinematographer) and Richard Reed Parry (composer) to build up a sense of existential dread tempered with warm nostalgia and occasional bursts of bombast. Erdély’s chilly remove on The Nest turned a domestic drama into an emotional horror film. Here it lends a retro look that has tragedy lurking just beyond the edge. Parry’s music does the same, combining his signature imposing ambient tones with occasional prog rock riffs that belie his work as a core member of Arcade Fire.

The Iron Claw. // Courtesy A24

Durkin works to get the actual wrestling right, too. The film’s fights were choreographed by Chavo Guerrero Jr., himself a second-generation wrestling legend. AEW wrestlers Maxwell Friedman (MJF) and “Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth and NWA star Brady Pierce also make notable cameos. It’s clear Durkin has a fan’s appreciation of the sport’s history and figures, as well as a fan’s understanding of how the system is set up, and the toll that professional wrestling takes on its athletes (any wrestling enthusiast will tell you that to love wrestling is to have a complicated relationship with the sport itself).

The Iron Claw is further proof of Durkin’s genius ability to manipulate and control tone. He knows how to take what could be an unremarkable story in someone else’s hands and turn it into a keen examination of psychology and the cycles of sin that pass from parent to child. In this case, that emotional intelligence is combined with a setting that oozes fun, atmospheric aesthetics. The Iron Claw draws you in, then rips your heart right out of your chest.

The Iron Claw. // Courtesy A24