“Tonight, I walk with my brothers.”

Unrelenting and unforgiving, Sean Durkin’s new drama The Iron Claw depicts the trauma that haunted the Von Erich family for years. 

Having not been familiar with any of Sean Durkin’s filmography, I was surprised at the superb direction. The world of the 1970s is fleshed out, especially in the ring. The lighting and colouring of those wrestling moments captured that All-American feel. The cinematography had such an eye-catching look that pulled me in. And of course, the soundtrack helped shaped the world and tone of the film, whilst also being so great to listen to.

It’s undeniably a tragic tale. A family fuelled by love that is betrayed by their own ambition. The ending felt quite heavy-handed, but all the other emotional moments hit like a sledgehammer, supported by the beautiful score. To know it’s all true makes the brutal depiction all the more hard to watch. But I can’t help but feel irritated that they left out the story of one of the brothers, for the sake that it would be unbelievable. Such a weak excuse for removing someone’s entire life from a story about the entire family. 

My only major issue with this film is the dialogue. The entire script felt like it was the first draft. All the conversations were so blocky, never feeling that natural and ran short of profound lines. It stayed in a sort of middle ground, so the almost generic quality of the script was glaring in the light of all the other great things the film offered. The dialogue could’ve elevated those dire moments, but it often didn’t.

The performances bring the fire that makes the film what it is, and Zac Efron is brilliant in the lead role. I never thought of him as a good actor but looking back, he just hasn’t been given good roles. It’s an emotional powerhouse of a performance. He shines here as a man broken by a life that pushes him to his breaking point. Unleashing raw emotion, his instability was captivating and made many scenes overwhelming to watch. A career-defining role for sure.

Jeremy Allen White is great, but severely underused. He joins the story later than his siblings, and is great all the time he’s on screen for. He depicts the desperation of the character really effectively, carving crushing moments, but all of that effort just makes me wish he was in the film more. 
Harris Dickinson is excellent in his role. He’s definitely who I’d call the best actor in the cast. His charming performance is immensely watchable. He’s charismatic but also somber when the script calls for it. Again, far too underused but when he’s on the screen, he’s the most watchable to me. 

Very glad I got to see this in cinemas. It hasn’t left my head since watching it, and I hope to experience it soon again. I have a feeling it will hit even harder the second time.

2023 RANKED