The Iron Claw

The Iron Claw finally has made its way to the big screen and it is easily one of the most amazing and upsetting movies of the year. The casting was incredible and the story is hauntingly accurate. The Iron Claw will probably be overlooked by the academy come Oscar nomination time, but that would be a mistake. The Iron Claw is seriously an incredible and emotionally gut wrenching movie. If you like family stories that might send you into a depression spiral or it might have you calling your siblings crying then this is for you.

Zac Efron delivers an unbelievable performance. This role was intense and required a wide range of emotions and Efron not only rose to the challenge but he truly exceeded all expectations. The casting team did an incredible job choosing men that bear an incredible likeness to the real Von Erich brothers. Jeremy Allen White was also a notable performance in the film. He is an Emmy award nominated actor for The Bear and his talent translates perfectly to the big screen.

One of the best parts of the film is the long camera shots. I love when shots linger and allow the actors to actually do their jobs. Every performance in this movie was truly impeccable. It really allowed for the emotion to fill the space and time and allowed for the audience to feel what the characters were feeling. I loved the way that it was shot and the direction was incredible.

I believe that some audience members went to see Iron Claw to see a movie about wrestling but what we got was a movie about brotherhood and bad parenting. Though the family used to blame a family curse the reality is that Fitz and his world class terrible parenting cost the lives of 5 of his children. The pressures that he put on his boys cost one to be overworked, very likely taking pain meds that caused internal bleeding and his death. His expectations cost his youngest and his middle boys their lives as well. 3 is a pattern and if 3 of your kids commit suicide it's absolutley, undeniably your fault. Moms complacency is also responsible for her sons deaths. The fact that this woman just sat around as her husband bullied her children.

The family was undoubtedly a good subject for a movie. And I appreciate that the biggest inaccuracy in the film is that they omitted another brother and his death. I also love that some of the background wrestlers that they brought in were the next generation of Von Erich boys who are wrestlers in real life. The movie felt very grounded in reality and in touch with the audience. The Iron Claw most definitely will join the list of incredible and well done movies that I will never be able to watch again due to how depressing it is to watch. That said it is also one that I will never stop recommending, the movie is truly beautifully done and wonderfully executed and everyone should see it.

Overall The Iron Claw was amazing and several parts of it will be on my personal Oscar nominations list. I hope that the academy gives it the recognition it deserves. The fact that it is based on a true story is tragic but also very well told. It also seems to have been created with the family’s blessing which also lends some credibility to the film. I will give the movie a full and confident 10/10 as it is most definitely one of the best movies of the year.