User Reviews

There's probably no other family in the world of professional wrestling that has endured more pain and sorrow than the Von Erichs of Texas. You might actually extend that dubious distinction to just about any family anywhere. Patriarch Fritz Von Erich (real name John 'Jack' Adkisson) was a big-name star during the Fifties and Sixties, feared for his famous signature finishing move, 'The Iron Claw'. Five of his sons followed his footsteps into a wrestling career with varying degrees of success, or lack thereof. The only one left alive is Kevin, who at a young age, was never explained the death of his six-year-old brother Jackie, the first of the Von Erich children to die an unnatural death by electric shock and drowning.

This movie was a whole lot better than I expected it to be. Personally, I lost interest in professional wrestling around the mid-1980's, just around the time the older Von Erichs were making their mark in the field. I knew father Fritz Von Erich to be a dangerous competitor during his era of the Fifties and Sixties, and when in the movie, he complains of not getting the recognition he needed to be elevated to World Heavyweight Champion, one might consider it was his grating personality as an aggressive self-promoter that stood in the way. Holt McCallany was a good choice for Fritz, who he resembled quite closely.

Having not followed the entertainment sport for almost forty years now, the chronology of events in this movie challenged me at times, but it was all there. Except for one nagging omission, that being one Von Erich brother missing from the narrative. For the sake of keeping the story constrained within a budget, director Sean Durkin opted to make Mike Von Erich (Stanley Simons) a composite figure of his real-life counterpart and yet another brother, Chris. Had Chris been included, the emotional overload would have been even more grueling, as Chris also committed suicide by gunshot two years before Kerry, portrayed by Jeremy Allen White. Following Chris's suicide, Fritz and Doris Von Erich (Maura Tierney) divorced after three months, an event omitted from the story.

Befitting the family's tragic history, the movie's final scene with Kevin (Zac Efron) hugging his two young sons and sorrowfully stating that he's no longer a brother is enough to bring a tear to one's eye. A closing frame of Kevin's present day family of four children and thirteen grandchildren doesn't offer the fact that his two sons, Kevin and David, are currently professional wrestlers themselves. One would certainly hope that the curse of the Von Erichs doesn't extend to the present generation.

P. S. - If you would like to go directly to the source, look up the first season episode of "Dark Side of the Ring: The Last of the Von Erichs". In it, Kevin Von Erich takes the viewer through the circumstances surrounding the death of each of his brothers. Be prepared for the present-day Kevin, the episode was filmed in 2019. He's a gaunt and almost frail looking individual with a subdued and composed manner when speaking about his father and brothers.

This biographical wrestling drama about the Von Erichs and their family curse where it showcases the life of four brothers - Kevin, David, Kerry and Mike, as they all turn wrestlers. Kevin and David were the chosen ones whereas circumstances get Kerry and Mike to chose the sport. It depicts the relationship they had with their parents and the precious brotherhood they shared. The highs and lows of their wrestling career, the drug addiction and the dark impact of it on them, as the elder brother Kevin witnesses it. A life full of tragedies doesn't mean life is nothing but tragedy and that is what the film tries to prove through Kevin and his life.

It definitely was an extremely emotional film and the whole brother sentiment hit me hard. It indeed was the core strength of this story. Irrespective of the cinematic liberties it has taken with the characters and the events, addition or omission, Sean Durkin perfectly captures the emotional moments. One could feel how helpless Kevin gets and he definitely tried his best, from the loyal son working hard to make his dad proud to the caring brother wanting the best for all his brothers. The wrestling including the Ric Flair segment compliments the film well and doesn't take the focus away from core plot. It indeed is an extremely sad story but it was worth it to sit through for that final scene of Kevin with his kids.

The Iron Claw faces the same issues as any adaption, except its real life.

The story of the Von Erichs is one that has obsessed not just wrestling fans but people throughout Texas, a state they owned for a large part of the 80s.

Fritz Von Erich (played by Holt McCallany) started his life as a discuss thrower and football player by the name of Jack Adkisson at Southern Methodist University. He married Doris Smith (Maura Tierney)- they had been teenage sweethearts at Crozier Technical High School - and their marriage cost Jack his scholarship. He transferred to Corpus Christi University before trying to play for the NFL and then heading to Canada to keep his dream of a football career alive.

There, he met Stu Hart, who trained him and paired him with Waldo Von Erich. The film glosses over the fact that the brother tag team did a Nazi gimmick, goosestepping in the ring in a time not much more than a decade after the end of the war.

The family's first brush with tragedy was the death of Jack Jr. After he was electrocuted by touching a part of their trailer, slipped and drowned in a puddle of snow in Niagara Falls, New York.

Jack, Doris and their sons Kevin and David continued on, as Fritz travelled more in the Midwest and won the AWA title - both versions, Minnesota and Omaha - three times and the NWA U. S. title twenty times. He was also a huge star in Japan, where his "Tetsu no Tsume" bloodied Giant Baba. After a loss in NWA hotbed St. Louis against champion Gene Kiniski, he headed to Texas where he began his own territory.

He also had three more sons, Kerry, Mike and Chris.

The film is based around Kevin (Zac Efron), the brother who gets the first start in the world of wrestling in his father's promotion, World Class Championship Wrestling. Taking a page out of the book of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, he wrestled barefoot, yet the legend is that someone hid his boots before a match and he just got used to not wearing them.

Soon, Kevin would team with his brother David (Harris Dickinson), named for Doris' brother David, who died months before he was born. In case the tragedy of this movie is too much, real life is worse, as Doris' younger sibling was just 14. The film takes the time to show a match between Kevin and Harley Race (Kevin Anton), the NWA World Champion, a belt that Fritz was obsessed with winner and now wants one of his sons to win. Upset with Kevin's performance, he decides that David will get the next title shot.

What the movie doesn't show was that at this time, David was the true breakout star of the family. He had already started working outside WCCW in Missouri, being groomed for a major babyface (good guy) role. On May 27, 1979, David wrestled Race in a non-title match and defeated him with the Iron Claw. Back then, these things didn't just happen.

Another fact in real life that points to David being the real star of the family instead of Kevin was that he went off to Florida and teamed with Kendo Nagasaki, Jimmy Garvin and the Funks, managed by J. J. Dillon. By learning how to be a heel (bad guy), he would gain the skills that the NWA World Champion needed. The champ was used as a barnstorming draw, going from NWA promotion to promotion, working their local star and making them look good. That meant that champs - like Dory Funk Jr., Ric Flair and Race - had to be able to work face or heel.

The film also doesn't show that WCCW's TV really was ahead of its time. David brough Garvin back to Texas with him and had a memorable feud where he won Garvin and his valet Precious' services for a month working on his ranch. He was also instrumental in bringing in the Freebirds, even teaming with them at the "Wrestling Star Wars" card at Reunion Arena on December 25, 1982. As Buddy Roberts didn't make it, David, Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin won the WCCW Six Man Titles from Tom Sharpe, Mike Sharpe and Ben Steel. David gave his belt to Buddy, which he would regret when later that night, Kerry (Kerry battled NWA World Champion Ric Flair in a Steel Cage with Michael Hayes and David Manning as the referees ) fought NWA World Champion Ric Flair in a steel cage with Hayes and David Manning as the referees. At one point, Hayes knocked out Flair and tried to give the win to Kerry. Kerry refused the pin and instead, the Freebirds slammed a cage door on his head. The feud between the brothers and the Southern rockers -- "This rivalry isn't between Texas and Georgia, it's between decency and filth!" - began. Most of this is shown quickly in the film and never touched on.

As for Kerry, the movie claims that he was training for the Olympics. The truth is he was a great high school athlete, but the story would always be that people took things from the Von Erichs. A bad tackle took away Kevin's NFL career. The Russians took the Olympics from Kerry.

At this point, the film shows that Kevin was married to Pam (Lily James) and his brothers remained single. In truth, David married Candy L. McLeod and had a child, Natosha Zoeanna Adkisson, who died at 13 weeks of age due to SIDS. He married a second time to Patricia A. Matter. Kerry married Catherine M. Murray in 1983 and had two daughters, Hollie and Lacey, who wrestled for TNA. Mike married Shani Garz in 1985. None of these events are shown in the movie.

What is shown is that David was showing signs of being sick. Officially, his death was listed as ruptured intestines resulting from acute enteritis. Kevin and Manning claimed it was a heart attack while Ric Flair claimed in his book that it was a painkiller overdose and Bruiser Brody and referee Joe Higuchi flushed all of the evidence.

Regardless, David was due to face Flair before he died. The angle began when he defeated Flair for the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship. The theory is that the NWA Championship Committee voted in January 1984 for David to win the World Title from Ric Flair in March or April of that year. David battled Flair at Reunion Arena on December 25, 1983, and Flair retained the NWA World Championship. Flair then did an interview where he commented on how Mike Von Erich was not a good wrestler and how he could beat him in 60 seconds with one hand tied behind his back. On January 30, 1984, Mike and Flair would battle at that year's Wrestling Star Wars in a 10 Minute Challenge Match. If Flair beat Mike in that time, David would never again ask for another shot at the NWA World title, but if Flair did not beat Mike in ten minutes, David would get to name the place, the time and every stipulation for his match against Ric Flair. Mike won, but then David died on tour for All Japan - defending the United National title that is now part of the Triple Crown - on February 10, 1984.

The movie then sets up that there was a coin toss between Kevin and Kerry. By skipping the Freebirds angle in the Kerry vs. Flair cage match, the movie makes it seem as if Kerry didn't deserve the title match. In truth, Kerry was on magazine covers at this point - and even had shirts sold in the Northeast at Sears - as a major star. He'd already been close to beating Flair, so when they had their match in front of over 45,000 fans at Texas Stadium at the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions - there was even a song made for the event, "Heaven Needed a Champion" - he had to win.

In real life, Kerry lost the belt 18 days later in Yokosuka, Japan to Flair, even though his feet were on the ropes.

In the movie, Kerry is in a motorcycle accident that night. This is false, as that accident happened two years after when it does in the movie, on June 4, 1986. According to Kevin, Kerry injured the foot following surgery by attempting to walk on it prematurely and ruined the foot, which caused the amputation. This was a huge secret even within wrestling, as he often showered with his boots on.

The movie also shows that this is when Mike started training. In truth, Mike debuted on November 24, 1983 against Skandar Akbar. While not the level of a star as his brothers, he did work a New Japan Pro Wrestling tour and was given a title match with IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Shiro Koshinaka. He also wasn't injured in one of his first matches, but instead during a tour of Israel - the movie doesn't get into what big stars the brothers were in that country - and had surgery on August 22, 1985. He was released from the hospital but later he developed a fever of 107 °F and was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome. That's how he got brain damage and lost so much weight. He did kill himself but not until two years later, four days after he was arrested for a DUI.

As for Kerry, at this point, he was involved in an interpromotional feud with Jerry Lawler that had its blowoff at SuperClash III in 1988, as well as working for Jerry Jarrett's USWA, which bought World Class in 1989 (and not after Kerry died, as shown in the movie). His WWF run kicked off with him defeating Buddy Rose - his first ever opponent, a coincidence - on the July 16, 1990 Saturday Night's Main Event. He was renamed the Texas Tornado and announcers gradually stopped calling him by his family name. He feuded with fellow second generation star "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig and defeated him for the Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam 1990 before another son of a wrestler, "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase cost him the title and started another feud.

The movie makes it seem like a surprise that Kerry was heading down the cards. In truth, he was one of Flair's first WWF opponents and was still opening on house shows. However, he was having pain killer issues and had even stolen a prescription pad from a doctor to make his own orders. His marriage ended, causing personal problems that hastened him leaving the company.

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I was expecting to be impacted a little more by The Iron Claw, but I've come away with slightly mixed feelings. A lot of people seemed to love this while heralding it as one of the year's best, and I don't know... I think it's good, but I'm not crazy about it. I'm not sure why some of the more emotional moments here didn't really move me, because on paper, this is a heavy story filled with tragedy (and it really happened in real life... sort of, because the actual events were worse, and it would've seemed inconceivable to tell the story exactly how it went in reality).

It's not so much that I became numb to it, but I just don't think I was as blown away by the acting or filmmaking as many others. Zac Efron... he was good (but it was no Oscar snub; not in my eyes). Jeremy Allen White, also good (but got shafted a little in screen time). The other brothers; the actors playing the parents: everyone did what they needed to, but no one blew me away. I feel like everyone was committing to a decent extent (or more, in some cases), but I just couldn't feel it. I appreciated it. But it didn't shake me to my core like I imagine it should've, or like I imagine it wanted to.

I can't really diagnose the problem; not yet. I think this is well-acted and competently made, but given the story being told, I feel like I should be coming away from it saying more than: "Yeah, that was pretty good." It's weird to have a slightly warmer than lukewarm feeling about a movie this emotionally intense, but that's where I am right now. Everyone involved with The Iron Claw gets a B- or a B. Well done, all, but also, no one knocked it out of the park. Maybe it's a little like a really talented group of students all coasting together through the most important assignment of the year; I can't be mad (as the imagined teacher in this stupid metaphor), but I also can't bring myself to be thrilled, either.

I grew up watching the Von Erichs on TV. I know the timelines pretty well. So, watching this movie left a lot to be desired.

On the good side- the actor playing David was spot on. He looked, sounded, and moved like David did. The actor playing Fritz was also a good likeness, and captured the passion, if not the reality, of Fritz towards wrestling. The actress who played Pam was very good, though the accuracy isn't really a big deal, since Pam isn't a celebrity. Same for Doris, played with very few lines by the usually reliable Maura Tierney. Mike is also portrayed well, if not physically accurate.

Sadly, that's all the good. Kerry got really shafted in being portrayed by an actor so short, he should have played Chris (who was omitted entirely!) Zac Effron plays Kevin like he was a brain-damaged simpleton.

The Freebirds and Harley Race looked good, but were barely used, the timelines are all screwed up (many months passed between Kerry winning the NWA title, and the motorcycle accident) (Mike died years after David, but the baby didn't age like that) (Kerry and David were both married and had children, David losing a baby that ended his first marriage.) This would have been much better as a series on Amazon or Netflix, to give the time to really develop the characters.

I had only a passing knowledge of the Von Erich family before going to see THE IRON CLAW, knowing that they were stars on the pro-wrestling circuit back in the '80s when images of the brothers graced the covers of those wrestling magazines on the racks in drug and grocery stores. Turns out there was a real story behind those photos, one that true fans came to know, and now, thanks to this film, the whole world has a chance to learn. This is a sports movie, but it is not about an underdog doing what it takes to become a champ, it is much more about persevering in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

The four Von Erich brothers were raised in Texas by their father, Fritz, a minor wrestling star of the '50s who never achieved the success in the ring he desired, but, like many fathers with failed ambitions, was determined that his boys-Kevin, Kerry, David, and Michael-would succeed where he fell short. He pushed his sons hard to become bigger and stronger, to instill in them a drive to make whatever sacrifice necessary to get to wear that champion's belt. The story is told through the eyes of Kevin, who witnessed what happened to his brothers, and the unfortunate fates that befell them in pursuit of their father's dream. As it has been noted, pro-wrestling might have been "fake," but the injuries were real. The film takes some liberties with the facts, including leaving one son completely out because his story would have been just too much tragedy for the film to handle.

Some might wonder why didn't any of these sons rebel, or say no when they got big enough, but as the film makes very clear, the Von Erich brothers truly loved each other, and Texas pro-wrestling, which was particularly brawling back in the day, was in their blood. It would have been easy for the film to make Fritz Von Erich into one of those awful Bad Dads that drive the plots in a lot of similar dramas, but, as played by Holt McCallany, Fritz gets his way by being emotionally manipulative, domineering when he has to be, but never raising a hand to his boys despite the violent nature of the way they made their living. Though he makes no secret of who his favorites are, you do feel that Fritz did love all of his children. He was just one of those men who did it his way.

Along with McCallany, this film is so perfectly cast with Harris Dickinson as David, probably the most gifted Von Erich when it came to presenting himself in the ring. Jeremy Allan White is Kerry, who would have competed in the Olympics if not for the American boycott of Moscow in 1980, who falls back into the family business afterward, though it is clear that lost opportunity weighed very heavy on him. Stanley Simons is Mike, the youngest brother, who has an artistic side, and whom we fear for from the minute he is introduced. All of them are good, but the anchor of the film is Zac Efron as Kevin, the older brother who was never quite the star in his father's eyes, but who became the rock the others leaned on. Bulked up to look like a mini-Hulk, Efron gives a terrific performance, maybe the best work he's ever done, and refutes those who thought him a pretty boy and a lightweight. Lily James is Pam, the tough Texas girl Kevin married, who became the rock he leaned on, and probably the reason why he was the one brother who ultimately survived what came to be called the "Von Erich curse." Maura Tierney is Doris, the matriarch of the family, who is asked to endure more than any mother should. But whoever they got to play Ric Flair doesn't come anywhere near close to capturing the outsized personality of "The Nature Boy."

Director and screenwriter Sean Durkin clearly has great affection for this material, it has plenty of heart and sympathy. Durkin manages to recreate the '80s very well, a time when Americans could go and have a good time without being taken to task for it, back before the raging culture wars and the digital age made the country so divided and judgmental. One of THE IRON CLAW's real strengths is that it doesn't have a political agenda; it just has a story to tell, one that many people will find relatable. And it sure earns its tears honestly, especially in that reunion scene late in the film, and Kevin's moment with his own sons at the end. I would go so far as to say, with all due respect to Daren Aronofsky and Mickey Rourke, that this is the better wrestling film.

I'm 48 years old and so I got to see the Von Erich's in what was my own personal "hey day" of wrestling. Absolutely loved them...especially Kevin and Kerry and their feuds with the Freebirds, Gino Hernandez, etc.... As I got older, and with the subsequent invention of the internet, I was able to dive into their story much more so I was very familiar with the details around this tragic family.

The good: 1. Casting was outstanding. I really thought they found believable people to play the boys and Fritz was outstanding. I hated him by the end of the movie, which I think was the intent. It was cool to see the Freebirds, Bruiser Brody, and Harley Race in small roles.

2. Wrestling scenes were good, I just thought they could have had a couple more of them. They did show a piece the memorable match with Flair and Kerry right after David passed in the background of one scene and thought they really could have shown way more actual footage or some kind of montage because they were all very entertaining.

3. The afterlife scene after Kerry passes was outstanding and was the only moment of the movie where I truly evoked emotion and thought to myself "wow, that was a really touching scene".

The bad: 1. As someone accurately posted, it was hard to tell if it was supposed to be more focused on Kevin or the family. The movie seemed to bounce between the 2 things.

2. There was absolutely 0 depth to any part of the movie with the exception of Kevin. With so many main characters, I thought it may be hard to get any deep insight into any of their personal stories and this proved to be true. They hit on the main points (David's death in Japan, Kerry's amputated foot, Mike never being the same after he got really sick...etc...)

3. There were 5 brothers (they literally left the lesser known one out). If you're going to gloss over so much, why couldn't you have just added the brother who couldn't wrestle due to his medical conditions.

4. I felt they completely glossed over the drug use, especially by Kerry. At one point you see him stick a needle in himself, but that's really about it. There was no other context around it. It was well known Kerry was in drug-related trouble and was probably looking at jail time when he committed suicide.

5. Ric Flair...they completely blew it on casting for this character. Ric Flair has become a part of current pop-culture and so there was a real opportunity here and he just flat out sucked. They couldn't find some actual old promos Flair did and play a little montage of some of those? Flair was the best to ever be on the microphone and the guy they had play Flair just wasn't good.

Overall it was a decent movie, mainly because the true story is so compelling and if you're not familiar with the story then you'll probably think it was a better than it really was. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know about the Von Erich's. I was hoping it would be something that I'd enjoy watching again, but I probably won't.

I spent 15 years around the pro wrestling business, from 1981 till 1996, and spent my share of time around World Class Wrestling. For decades, I've imagined a movie about the Von Erichs that could live up to their legend and their tragedies.

I had high hopes for The Iron Claw, but I left the theater disappointed. I wanted a home run. It's not a swing and a miss; more like a foul tip into the stands.

I wanted to love this movie, but I just can't -- it doesn't know whether it's telling Kevin's story or the family's story. It ignores one of the Von Erich brothers entirely: Chris, who also committed suicide. In a movie about brothers and tragedy, how can you leave out a brother and a tragedy?

The Texas Stadium event, at which Kerry won the NWA World title from Ric Flair in memory of David (I was there), was an incredibly emotional day; fans were openly weeping when Kerry won the belt. It was a cornerstone of their in-ring legend, like Live Aid was a cornerstone of Freddie Mercury's career, but it's practically glossed over here.

I also found the pacing disturbing. It was slow moving, spending too much time on situations that didn't help the audience get invested in the characters as much as they could have. There was no dynamic range -- a tone is established early, then maintained for two hours. The emotional rollercoaster of their lives seems reduced to emotional cruise control.

Wrestling fans will probably be disturbed that David is pretty much the only Von Erich brother who looks like the actual Von Erich (Kerry looks like Marty Jannety; Kevin looks like Pete Rose). Ric Flair's interview elicited groans of disgust from the wrestling fans in the theater, though Harley Race and the Freebirds seemed to be pretty on point. The actual wrestling action itself is quite well done, and Holt McCallany is a terrific Fritz Von Erich.

There were occasional hints of the excellent film that might have been. The best example: Kerry meeting his brothers in the afterlife, one of the few scenes that succeeded in carrying real emotional impact. Given the family's story, "few" should have been "many" in that previous sentence. Knowing the real story as well as I do, I saw missed opportunities all over the screen.

All that said, I have yet to speak with anyone who has seen The Iron Claw who knows nothing of the story of the Von Erichs and little about pro wrestling. I can't help but wonder how the movie comes across to them. I suppose I'll find out in a week or two when I come back to this page and read user reviews.