The Iron Claw
Short description
The Iron Claw recounts the story of the Von Erich family, whose four sons became central figures in professional wrestling in Texas during the early 1980s. Kevin, Kerry, David and Mike train under their father Fritz, a former wrestler who drives his children toward championship success while keeping tight control over their lives. Their success in the ring brings fame to the family, but the same pressure that pushes them forward also strains the brothers, and tragedy repeatedly strikes the household. The film is based on real events and takes its name from a signature wrestling hold associated with the family.
Sean Durkin wrote and directed the film, his third feature after Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest, and he also produced it with Tessa Ross and Derrin Schlesinger. Zac Efron plays Kevin, with Jeremy Allen White as Kerry, Harris Dickinson as David and Stanley Simons as Mike. Holt McCallany appears as Fritz and Maura Tierney as Doris. Made for a modest budget, the film earned considerably more than it cost at the worldwide box office.
The Iron Claw holds a critics' rating of 7.7 out of 10 from 261 reviews, closely matching its TMDB audience score of 7.5 out of 10 from over 1,300 votes, so critics and viewers responded to it in similar measure. It runs 133 minutes and was released in December 2023.
What's left behind the scenes
- According to the film, Von Erich lost his leg when he won the title, but in reality, two years passed between these events: he won the title in 1984, and his leg was amputated in 1986.
- Fritz Von Erich died of cancer at his home in 1997 at the age of 68. Five of his six sons did not live to see 1997. His eldest, Jack Jr., died in 1959 at the age of 6; David died in 1984 at the age of 25; Mike (1987), Chris (1991), and Kerry (1993) committed suicide at the ages of 23, 21, and 33, respectively. Only Kevin remained. All these deaths spawned a widespread myth about the so-called “Von Erich curse.” It should be noted that the “curse” was not limited to the Von Erich family, but also extended to Fritz Von Erich's friends, whom he trained.
- Director Sean Durkin forbade Zac Efron from crying until the last day of filming, when the final scene of the film was shot.
- Ryan Nemeth is an actor and professional wrestler. In 2016, he competed against Ross and Marshall, the sons of Kevin Von Erich, in Texas.
- Maxwell Friedman, who starred in this film, is a professional wrestler.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
