Excuse us for passing this movie over. Though it debuted on May 10 on Max and a week later as the HBO Saturday night movie on HBO, we want to draw your attention to the fact that this A24 film is still available on Max. The 2023 movie, clocking in a 2 hours & 12 minutes, is written and directed by Sean Durkin and stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons, Maura Tierney, with Holt McCallany and Lily James.
This true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s, takes us back to the day when everyone watched wrestling & the Von Erichs. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality in the biggest and craziest arena in sports.
They get the biographical treatment here not because of all the titles belts they garnered between them but because of these achievements despite the tragedies the siblings faced throughout their short careers. Four members of the Von Erich’s family died while trying to achieve greatness as a reigning wrestling empire. They did succeed in doing that ultimately, but the Von Erich Curse is known to this day. This movie 
chronicles their saga from Durkin who was a huge wrestling fan back in the day. If you want a solid biographacal tale or followed this family’s battles on the mat, if you are in the know that the ‘iron claw’ of the title was the signature wrestling hold of the Von Erich’s then this movie might be for you.
Of THE IRON CLAW critics have stated praise. The Atlantic commented “it is the kind of big, weepy, macho film that just doesn’t get made much anymore, a soaring power ballad that should prompt a lot of loud sniffling in the theater.” But The Ringer reminds us that too much tragedy can bring a viewer down too. But an uplifting moment despite it call can spare hte grip of this iron claw. It said, “It may be that by finally torquing a story about unimaginable loss into that of a mind who finds himself, The Iron Claw errs on the side of uplift. But as acted by Efron, the catharsis feels earned—the euphoric feeling of having broken out of a deathlock, even if only momentarily.”
RT sums it up thusly –
Have you felt the emotional grip of THE IRON CLAW? Feel free to share.
