- “The Iron Claw” film details wrestling family’s tragedy
- Directed by Sean Durkin
- Explores toxic masculinity and emotions
In “The Iron Claw,” a film centred on the legacy and tragedy of the Von Erich wrestling family, Efron co-stars with Jeremy Allen White, Lily James, and Harris Dickinson.
“The Iron Claw,” an American film directed by Sean Durkin, draws inspiration from the Von Erichs, a renowned professional wrestling family.
In addition to focusing on wrestling, the A24 film explores the consequences of toxic masculinity and the refusal to acknowledge one’s emotions.
Zac Efron states that this is one of the early points in the process Sean brought up that captivated him with the narrative.
In the film, the 36-year-old actor portrays Kevin, the eldest of the Von Erich siblings, who has devoted his entire life to wrestling professionally, following in his father’s footsteps.
Efron further states, “Being a man is difficult to do, if you will, examine it. I believe Sean accomplished this with this film.”
Despite receiving widespread acclaim from critics, his performance did not earn him any Oscar, Golden Globe, or BAFTA nominations.
Wrestling Legacy, Masculinity Explored
The actor from “The Greatest Showman” is nevertheless pleased with the film’s reception among audiences.
He asserts, “I believe everyone will leave feeling moved or in some way affected, and that is everything.”
Sean Durkin, who previously wrote and directed the Elizabeth Olsen and Sarah Paulson film “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” also authored the narrative and oversaw the production of “The Iron Claw.”
His “all-consuming” passion for professional wrestling during his youth inspired the concept.
According to the 42-year-old, while the Von Erich brothers “revolutionised wrestling,” their fabricated family history exemplifies a “extremely misguided expression of masculinity that has caused irreparable harm to our culture.”
Similar to their real-life counterparts, the Von Erichs depicted in “The Iron Claw” are devoted to their profession.
The patriarch Fritz Von Erich, portrayed by Holt McCallany, maintains optimism regarding the likelihood that his family will secure the NWA World Heavyweight Championship title. His intense ambition for achievement prevents him from recognising the catastrophic calamities that transpire within his family.
The wrestling drama is a “true Greek tragedy” with a familial theme, according to the director.
Von Erichs: Tragedy and Legacy
He further states: “I think my favourite reaction is often that people leave the cinema, and they call their brother or sister.”
Tragic setbacks transpire within the film’s narrative, which resonates with actual disastrous occurrences within a particular family.
Furthermore, while “The Iron Claw” portrays five Von Erich brothers, the actual number was six.
The family quickly became associated with the purported “Von Erich curse” due to the untimely deaths of five of the six siblings (Kerry, David, Chris, Mike, and Jack Jr.) between 1959 and 1995.
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Although Kevin Von Erich, the sole surviving sibling, rejects the notion of a curse, he attended the Los Angeles premiere of the film to demonstrate his support.
The now 66-year-old reiterated on Chris Jericho’s podcast in December that the film is purely for entertainment purposes and that his father, although portrayed as “pretty rank” in the movie, “was an honourable, good man.
In 2009, the WWE Hall of Fame inducted the Von Erich family.
