The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron, is a sports biopic about the Von Erich family, one of the most legendary dynasties in professional wrestling. It's one of those rare sports dramas that really hits hard, told fairly and packed with genuine passion for the subject.
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Zac Efron is a rather impressive actor. The fact that he started off as a Disney channel actor, yet went on to become talented both comedically and dramatically is a pleasure to behold.
Quickly becoming a second Kurt Russel! He also got his start in Disney films as a child actor!
High School Musical is still goated man. Unpopular opinion HSM 3 is the best in the franchise, sue me.
Reminds me of Robert Pattinson’s career. Starts off as a teen movie/show star that isn’t taken seriously, but slowly evolves into a capable & respectable actor overtime
He was brilliant as Ted Bundy.
Dude, right???? When I was younger he was a punchline. And now he's proved to be an absolutely incredible actor, not to mention a really sweet guy. Gives me hope for Hollywood that guys like him and Chris Pratt can exist in the industry (not saying Chris Pratt is as talented of an actor).
“I used to be a brother, and now I’m not a brother anymore” killed me
First thing I thought of when I saw the review drop. Devastating line.
Losing 1 brother is tough, but 4 gd
Then i thought he was still a brother. His brothers died, but the love didnt.
@@SuperHippo95 in real life it was actually one more. So we can all wrap our heads about the fact that the story about the Von Erich family is SO devastating, that they actually toned it down for the movie. I literally teared up just by watching this review and reliving that final scene with Zac Efron and his sons.
@@AndrejStanic well two more, his oldest died before he knew him
I met David Von Eric once, on my flight to Army Basic Training in 83. He was a huge man, made my 6'3", 190 lbs feel like a toddler. He was very nice and accomidating, signing an autograph for my brother, a super-fan.
Seems like a lot of those guys are actually pretty cool in person. I got to meet Sid Eudy (Sid Viscious) while he was out for dinner and he was wider than the friggin' table he was seated at. Also met Billy Kidman on some Surge promo thing.
Exactly why I didn't like the movie because none of the actors were up to size.
Dave was 6'8"
@@real100talk5I mean it’s almost impossible to find someone that huge and good at acting
True story. I’m 63. When I was 4-6 years old my parents would take me to the wrestling matches at the old Fort Worth Sportatorium. I watched Fritz Von Erich use his famous Iron Claw. I once saw him wrestle an actual black bear. The bear won and they gave him a big bottle of Coke as a reward and the bear swallowed it in two gulps. Ahh good times.
Victor the Bear. There is a video with The Destroyer wrestling him up on youtube with The Destroyer doing commentary. "Tuffy Trusdale hit me with a chain and the bear gets a Coka Cola. The bear shouldn't get a Coka Cola, the bear should be disqualified. ... And I should get the Coka Cola."
That bear was cheating. He used an illegal move.
@@mar10ssj1 I always got a kick out of Roddy Piper's story about Victor. He was in the back judging what he was gonna do, a rookie and a bit hungover, when Mr Perfect tried to calm him down by rubbing his bum. A lot. Turns out, it was a rib, Perfect was rubbing honey all over his trunks. The match started, Victor found the honey, and when he was done started looking for some more. Piper tried to flee the ring with his trunks at his ankles, trips on the rope, and knocked himself out with his ass up in the air.
What the fuck did I just read
@@n0m4nic i didnt expect to find an erotic novel in the comments, but here we are
When asked for input on the movie the real Kevin Von Erich just said "The thing I care about most is that people know how much my brothers and I loved each other." I think he would approve.
And then they left out a brother from the film so...
@@kayfluffand they made the father a psychopath
@@Pepe_SilviaFritz was worse in real life although the death of his sons affected him more than the movie lets on.
@kayfluff I looked into why they left him out. Apparently the real story was too tragic to include all of them.
GREAT THE CRITICAL DRINKER IRON CLAW REVIEW 🦾🦾🦾💪
Fun Fact: Chavo Guerrero, nephew of the legendary wrestler Eddie Guerero trained Zac Efron and the rest for 7 weeks. He is also a consultant for this movie.
He also said efron could work a legit match so I’d be excited to see him in the ring
He also plays The Sheik in the movie.
I miss Eddie so much. 20 years since his title win over Brock Lesnar at No Way Out.
Cameos as the Sheik early in the movie.
@@bostrobel1725 WrestleMania is around the corner. Ahh, if only..
Iron Claw had one of the most moving scenes for me in modern cinema. Kevin had just found Kerry and I'm assuming, to make himself feel a little better he dreams of Kerry going to be with his Brothers. Scene had me.....MISTY EYED! But then I thought - where is Jack? WOW! They really delivered in that scene -I literally let out a sob in the cinema! Somebody posted earlier about all Kevin wanted from this film was for the world to see the love between him and his Brothers - Mission accomplished!
There was another brother they left out too, Chris.
Watched this movie twice with both of my older brothers. We cried and hugged each other in the theater until we had to leave the theater. It's truly incredible what this did for us. My brothers and I have always been close and have strong values in family, but after this movie it grew much stronger. Truly an incredibly impactful film 10/10
Same brother. Took my sons. They were hooked from the trailer. We were in tears by the end. I was trying to hold it back and my youngest son just reached out and grabbed me by the arm and squeezed firm. It was understood
@bjtucker5 The saying is really cliche in my opinion, but this movie really makes heartbreak feel okay and real. The movie was really well grounded, my brothers and I found it extremely relatable with being competitive, always loving each other, lifting with each other, sneaking out, and supporting each other in all facets of our life. I'm glad your sons got to watch this movie.
I'm the oldest of 6 brothers and we're all really close. I couldn't imagine losing one, let alone all of them. This movie really touched us on a personal level. God bless the Von Erich family.
@@lordbane5627 God bless you’re family too. 6 boys is a blessing not many receive
@@Ryan15beast Thank You Sir. Same to yours as well :)
"Tonight I walk with my brothers." It's amazing how The Iron Claw managed to get 0 award recognition, quite genuinely one of the greatest movies of the year with the best lead performance of the decade so far in Zac Efron.
Too much testosterone and masculinity, I’d assume
@@GIBBO4182oh shut up
It missed the cut off for the awards (the oscars are alot of crap anyway) so it would be eligible next awards season. However as the comment above correctly says- it won’t get any because it wasn’t diverse DEI blah blah and has strong men in it. Hollywood HATE that now.
@@jayboy2kay7 Its made three times its budget in a very limited release. Everyone is talking about it.
@@soulknife20Except for the national media
Zac Efron has come a long way from his High School Musical and Neighbors days. What a man.
I’ve never cheered harder for a guy to push past horrible choices and find his voice- he’s the epitome of a working class actor. Sort of a current timeline Paul Newman. His turn on Bundy was excellent, and showed he has the ability to be so much more than just the easy-on-the-eyes guy doing kitschy roles for a check.
@@BobDevVwhat are you? Some kind of hater? Haha the dude got in a car accident or something and needed the surgery.
the movie where he played Ted Bundy completely flipped my opinion on him as an actor
@@jaimeruiz7837 that and roids
@@BobDevV Hey at least if the MCU ever needs to recast Thanos they won't need CGI anymore.
Zac deserved an Oscar nomination.
I think it was too late for this years. He definitely should be in next years Oscar. I just hope recency bias doesn’t take him out of the race. His performance was phenomenal.
Its a 2023 movie and cant contend for 2025 Oscars.
i'm gen-X woman, and EVERYBODY in the eighties loved the Von Erichs! it was actually family activity to watch them fight on Saturday nights
Uh, not "EVERYBODY."
I used to have five brothers. Now I'm not even a brother. - Kevin von Erich.
"I used to be but now I wasn't"
There was one more brother irl than there was in the movie.
@@RedRaikou "I used to be but now I wasn't aren't they?"
@@stevealford230 he also killed himself :(
@@stevealford230 yep he shot him self too
The line 'I used to be a brother' hit incredibly hard!
Thanks Drinker for not being “scared” of talking about and interacting with professional wrestlers and the industry as a whole. I feel some shy away thinking it’s “low brow” entertainment but it’s actually a very unique place to analyze storytelling, where theater, scripted entertainment, real people in a real world timeline, culture and politics come together to create art. Thanks again Drinker! Keep kicking ass!
I second your points.
McDonald's food has to be cooked just like steak or tempura prawns need to be cooked it does not stop McDonald's being low brow food and steak as being the top food. Just cause it requires labour even hard work it does not change what it is. Horses work hard are they smart?
It is very low brow. It's very, very repetitive playing on the most basic human emotions. There isn't that much creativity. Of course it's still interesting, but more from a psychological standpoint, because it's basically a huge human experiment on how to orchestrate and manipulate crowds.
@@miskatonic6210 yes, bread & circuses
I consider it a modern version of the traveling circus, filled with amazingly talented people performing a half-designed, half-improvised show. Just like I know movies and drama are fake doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy the storylines and action of pro wrestling.
I grew up in DFW during that time. To say wrestling was small and regional is an understatement. I remember when the Von Erichs and the whole circus put on a match in our high school gym. The senior football players (American football) got to see them work out in the weight room. They were blown away with what they saw. And yea, they put on a good show.
Around 2002 I was in The Colony and worked out at this little gym called Glory Gym. Seen an autographed pic of Kerry in the gym and was chatting with the owner of the gym he told me some bizarre stories about Kerry. He would come in the gym once in a while and would train ONLY his right bicep for a day come in days later and ONLY train his left calf. Come in again a few days later and ONLY train his right shoulder. Not because of injuries or rehab but because he was losing his mind and went off the deep end. The owner told me he told him he isn’t ever coming back to that gym because he thought there were insects in the gym. Real paranoid and exhibited unusual behavior.
I'm a Texan born and raised and growing up in the 80 and 90 you knew of the von Erichs. You heard about them you went to watch them they were heros in a way. That's why it was hard when they died. After is when all the speculation started coming out. Fuck I had to watch it twice at the theater I walked out the first time crying missed about twenty minutes of it. I remember going to watch them wrestle and getting to meet Kerry after the show. My dad took me. This was a really damn good movie and told the story of the family well.
Same. They sure were fun to watch - until it became one disaster after another for the family.
Got to check them out in 91’ at the now torn down Sportatorium in Dallas. That era of wrestling was amazing. I loved that shit every Friday night as a kid.
@@j.vinton4039 hell yeah! Kamala the Ugandan Giant, Kabuki and the Junk Yard Dog
@@j.vinton4039 Hopefully you never got the fries there. Its probably for the best Percy Pringle passed away before he found out what made them so good.
@@n0m4nic "The Sportatorium had a bad rat infestation problem. According to Percy Pringle/Paul Bearer, the rats were a reason why the french fries from the concession stand were delicious. When the health inspectors inspected the Sportatorium, they found out that the deep fryers were not drained in many years. When they drained the deep fryer, they found rat bones in it"
I've cried twice in the last 20 years, when my grandfather died and when my dog died. This movie was the third time.
I cried once in my life. When i drunkenly zipped the back of the whole length of my penis from base to tip in one aggressive fell swoop into my pants and had to slowly unzip myself in abject horror and excruciating pain, and yes i do have a zigzag scar.
@@AnoneemusNoename - My god... unzipping that one-inch distance must have seemed like a thousand miles. Excruciating.
@@sgt.thundercok4704LOL
@@sgt.thundercok4704 Fu$%in got him.
Too much Man Hugging. It has to stop. I can't take anymore.
The BEST film of the year and it wasn’t even nominated.
You sure it didn't miss the deadline and it. an be nominated next years
Drinker it just feels so touching how your closing phrase “go away now!” was spoken in such a light tone compared to your other videos! It’s almost feels like you don’t want us to go away now!
I noticed the same 'go away now' for the Puss in Boots 2 review, and a slightly more excited one for the Dune Part 2 movie. Definitely nice to hear.
I remember meeting Kerry VonEric as a kid. Im.from.Fort Worth so they're from basically right up the road. Dude was like a real life super hero...an absolute IRON GIANT to a 6 year old kid. Like a brick wall with long hair.
Wasn't it kinda weird seeing a 5'7 guy play the Iron Giant???
@dRoscoAZ as a 3' 6 year old, no. Plus I have to seen the movie yet.
@@dRoscoAZ they shoulda casted zac as Kerry. Idk
I remember people were convinced he replaced Ultimate Warrior. That's how jacked he was
@freiflug83 yesss...I remember that. Ultimate Warrior could've been a VonEric.
One of the most emotionally charged movies in recent years, genuinely brought out tears by the end. Wrestling scenes were also very well done
Not a wrestling fan at all, but I just watched this movie and it was absolutely incredible. “I used to be a brother…. Now I’m not a brother anymore.” That hit hard man.
This deserved a best picture nomination. It was a brilliant performance
When in reality that chin isn't SAG member, hasn't diddled children, or doesn't identify as anything other than a chin, so it's got no hope in hell of getting that Oscar.
It’s still eligible. Wasn’t eligible for this years Oscars.
Nah. You’re bien too gentle . This movie should have replaced Barbie @ the Oscar. It should have gotten best picture nom , costume nom …and of course a couple of performances noms instead of Barbie . This movie was truly snob .
the writing sucked. but some of the acting was good. mostly just Zacs performance.
Lack of message, diversity and wokeness so it's got no chance. All the snub does is confirm that that Oscars has little to no credibility left when it comes to recognizing actual good movies
I grew up in Dallas watching the Von Erichs on TV in the 80s. It was a huge deal when David died. Kerry von Erich was probably the most well known during the time I was watching, so when he died it was pretty much a week of mourning for all of Texas. Will definitely watch this one.
Yep can confirm. My best friend at the time was a huge Kerry von Erich fan, but followed all the brothers as much as he could when they wrestled.
It was the second biggest funeral in Texas history
I loved the Texas Tornado as a kid. I had no idea about the history of the family at the time, but that dude was way above the mid card level that WWF put him at
Growing up in 1970s/1980s Texas, this movie landed. The Von Erichs were very present in the culture. It's hard to believe the movie left out another doomed brother because it was too much tragedy.
Great movie. I'm glad non-wrestling fans gave it a chance and enjoyed. As a wrestler, and a fan, it hit home in a few ways. The crazy thing is that this doesn't even come close to doing the family story justice. Its even more tragic when you get the full story, including the brother that was excluded from the film. Good video!!
Mids
Damn I did a wiki deep dive and found chris von Erich and his story. I wonder why they chose to omit him from the film completely. Such a tragic end for this entire family.
@MegaDringus I read that the director had to cut one of the additional brothers story arc out of the script in fear that it was just too harrowing/depressing. They were afraid the movie wouldn't even have got accepted by the studio and even got made at all.
I was sobbing my heart out by the end. The little brother moment broke me
Fritz Von Erich really had it rough. Not only did he bury five of his six sons, with his firstborn dying at the age of 7, but he also died of cancer.
Didnt fritz had dementia too ?
Bruh
I saw this movie on Christmas. My family went and saw some romcom together but I really wanted to see this movie, having no clue how heartbreaking it would be. I left the movie theater, barely holding it together and the minute I saw my family, I just lost it. The moment that really killed me was when Kerry reconnected with his brothers after he killed himself and saw his older, little brother and picked him up. I lost my nine year old brother a couple of years ago in a car accident, and just the thought of me passing and getting to see and hold him again wrecked me. I really needed that moment of just completely letting go and grieving and crying, and this movie forced me into that and I can’t appreciate it enough.
Wow , man ! It must have been hard to watch that movie after passing through that tragedy. My condolences. I really hope and believe you're going to find your brother in the afterlife, like in the movie!
I knew nothing about this story and had very small expectations. I was blown away to see what would have been just a competent movie 20 years ago. I wish more movies were like this today. No award recognition is expected and a travesty for a crew and cast that really knew what they were doing. Couldn't recommend this enough and glad to see it recommended by the drinker.
I'm an old guy from the south. Wrestling in the territories was awesome. People really took it seriously. We loved it. You young guys should go back and watch some old wrestling tapes from the territories. It was good stuff.
Zac Efron is like Leonardo DeCaprio. They start off in roles that make them look like pretty boys used for teen girl fodder. But over the years they take on roles that harness their acting chops and prove they're more than what their origins say about them. This is jow they earn my respect and appreciation of their talents. And the guy who plays the dad whose name I could never remember I'm glad he was cast for a serious rolexlike this. I've seen him in heaps of random shows throughout the 00s but nothing more than that till now.
The actor who played Fritz he was The Beast in Shot Caller
Leo literally started off his adult career getting nominated for an Oscar in a mature drama. Bad comparison.
@@mrcliff3709 He was also one of the leads on Mindhunter - David Fincher's Netflix show that was one of the best things Netflix created in their entire history.
Holt McCallaney is his name. Criminally underrated actor. I think this could be due to his resemblance to Grant Show from Melrose Place so as a young man he be known as the Grant Show look-alike. just my opinion.
basketball diaries dude
This movie moved me so deeply while watching with my girlfriend in the theater. I’m the youngest of 3 brothers, however they are much older and we are not very close. My mother had a miscarriage before and after me, both were boys. I pray I can have at least 2 boys of my own one day and help to make their bond unbreakable. Beautiful movie that truly makes you feel like you knew the family.
I absolutely loved this movie. Efron was a highlight. Great acting, great dialogue. Had me crying in the cinema.
The scene that killed me in the film was the boat scene; having lost an older brother I broke down in tears.
I hear you. I can't even think about the scene without welling up.
Should have started with *spoiler.* thanks for taking that moment from me when I watch the movie.
@@kylejohnston3370 the movie has been out for 2 months??
Lmao the “accusations” line about Vince got me 😂
Thank God Triple h is booking😂
It's easy to dump on vince sometimes. And vice versa
@@clockworkorangecassidy1114 😂🤣😂
@@clockworkorangecassidy1114 That one took me a few seconds. And, unfortunately, . . . "I understood that reference". 😂😂🤢🤢🤮🤮
I think Vince is a great man and whatever he does privately is nobodies business. I actually think Stephanie is behind all of these accusations. She quit last year after Vince refused to gift his company to her and her husband. Then all of these accusations began. It’s coming from her. It’s greed disguised as revenge for her mother.
World Class Championship Wrestling was at its absolute peak when I was in middle school through high school. The Von Erichs were the superheros in the weekly wrestling drama every weekend. I didn't miss it. None of my friends missed it. This movie took me back there to see the tragedy behind the super humans that were the Von Erichs. FYI:: ESPN's 30 for 30 does an awesome job interviewing Kevin Von Erich. Everyone should stop down for it. It's really good, too.
This was one of those movies where you could tell the level of love everyone involved in the project had for the material. They may not have been wrestling fans or Von Eric fans, but the process of working on this movie had an affect on them and it shows in the final product.
I was hoping for more Lance Von Erich.
That scene with Kevin and his sons had me in tears.
It was definitely one of the best movies I've seen this year. The performances were absolutely brilliant. It even managed to burst me into tears with the ending line.
This is one of my favorite movies of last year. Having struggled with depression myself, it really hit me on a personal level. At the same time, the love between the brothers is inspiring and uplifting.
I felt immersed the entire time during this movie. Zac was great. Even though It was short feeling like more could’ve been explained. I was very entertained and saddened by the story
If ya smell what the Drinker is cookin!!
I smell it, and it smells like burnt shill. After Paramount gave him a neck rub and a free subscription to their woke streaming service, he all of a sudden LOVED Picard. You know--that show where they killed off Picard and replaced him with a self-hating feminist android. The Critical Shiller LOVES that show.
Question is if he part of the we want Cody movement drinkee👀👀😁
Shaddap
Know your roll and hit the like button. 😂😂😂
I smell booze and strippers.
Is heartbreaking how in the movie Kevin said what he wishes is being with his brothers all his life and he ended being the last one
You always know a movie has left an impact on you when you find yourself researching the events depicted the second the credits roll. I just couldnt believe that such a massive serving of tragedy could be dealt out so cruelly to a single family and the 5 brothers, so to say I was shocked not only to learn that the events are largely accurate, but that there was infact a 6th brother that also died in tragic circumstances that was left out of the movie, probably because there were just too many tragic events to give the time and respectful story telling they all deserved. The minor criticisms of the movie are well warranted, but overall I thought the movie was a success.
I saw this movie three times in theaters. Once by myself. I can’t even convey how much it means to me. The love I have for my brothers and the desire to have even more pure and true brotherly love was just so real while watching. The feeling of being “cursed” is such a crushing theme. It’s an incredible difficult movie but I’ve never felt more safe watching a movie. It may be my favorite movie of all time and it’s so strange. It just is MY movie, ya know?
I hear ya, man. Sometimes, a movie comes around that feels like it was made specifically for you.
I adored the way they were portrayed as actual athletes + sportsmen, who were dedicated, trained unbelievably hard + worked/performed just as hard. Too many people ignore the insane effort/fitness etc that actually goes into wrestling, scripted or not. Tragic story, but inspiring men...
Long time wrestling fan and I know the Von Erich family so I was happy that A24 were willing to make a film about them. As much as it is accurate in some parts but inaccurate on others however it was a great film. Went to see it with my mates and I got teary eyed many times and the last quote from Kevin broke me, you done good film.
I wonder how pissed the family are that one of the brothers was omitted from the movie, completely written out as if he had never existed...
Me too my bro!Are you still watching😀😀🙂
As an old wrestling fan also it sucks that yet again a mainstream movie about the business (the other being 2008's The Wrestler) focus on loss, tragedy, and overall negativity. For once I wish there was an uplifting movie that captured the magic and awesomeness of it, like Rocky 3 did in those 10 minutes with "Thunderlips".
@@stevealford230 I believe Mike portrayed in the movie is a combination of Mike and Chris (the one omitted)
I believe Kevin approved, once it was explained to him why it was necessary to make such a decision. I’m sure that they were already trying to fit a huge story into the time frame they were working with. But, the film was already devastating enough with the amount of death and loss portrayed. I can see why they did it, but I agree that the full story would have been better.
I can see Zac Efron getting an oscar one day if he continues to do performances like this one. He really stole the show for me. Beautiful and devastating film. Was gutted in the cinema.
I hope it finds an audience on streaming, its a movie that deserves to be seen.
That last scene man. Its so simple and you know what his kids are gonna say already but still made me cry.
Just watched it last night, blown away, amazing performance from the entire cast, Efron in particular.
I live near Denton, where the family is from, and had the chance to meet them and have dinner with them at their ranch one evening in the early 80s. My cousin's boyfriend claimed to know them, and I thought he was lying, but he took me to their house to meet them. He went to high school with them. They were very kind to me and let me eat as much pizza as I could. I wasn't into wrestling, but it made a lasting impression on me. It was heartbreaking to later hear of their ordeals and tragic loss. This movie represents their memory well.
Man seeing Kevin cry in the final scene made me tear up. Brilliant performance.
I took my girl to see this movie and she never understood my love for wrestling but this movie made her cry. This is a great movie if it can make non wrestling fans care
My mom, brother and i saw this a couple days after Christmas when we visited her. I havent cried like that since i was a kid. My dad was a wrestler in highschool and college, and i wouldve wrestled in college but i tore my labrum and had to get surgery. I knew of the story of the family, but this movie hit a part of me and my family that left us in tears at the end, along with the rest of the theater. This movie really gave me new perspective, and it will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Just saw a Dave Cullen video talking about “Rogue Elements.” Good for you Drinker. I have a lot of respect for your writing as well as your KZhead videos. I appreciate that you put your butt on the line as a creative and don’t just talk talk about it. Good luck with the film!
I wouldn't say Kevin is the most invested in wrestling. I got the impression he did it mostly because it was something to do which his father approved of and which he didn't dislike. In the same way Kerry didn't exactly die because of some unfortunate illness, but because going to a doctor would mean not going to Japan which would mean no World Heavyweight Champion, which would mean a disappointed father.
That's David
Ah, my bad. It has been a few weeks since I saw it and tbh other than our protagonist and the musical brother (who certainly has a name, but which I already forgot) are blending together. Then Kerry was the potential Olympian right?
@slaapt Brandon the tallest, Kerry was training for the Olympics and Michael the musician
I definitely want to see this film. The review is appreciated! I’d like to also mention one of my favorite films The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke. It does a great job showing how obsession and desire to live up to a moment in their life will drive people to overlook everything else while they chase the fleeting moments of fame and greatness that they once had.
Thank for reviewing this! I'm old enough to remember the Von Erichs in their heyday (specifically Kevin and Kerry) so this movie brought back a lot of memories of that era and of that family, both good and bad. Yeah there were a few things they skipped/left out like Chris Von Erich's entire existence, and there's the fact that they could've done better with the Ric Flair casting, but other than that, I thought this was a brilliant and touching movie. The scene at the end where Kevin tells his sons "I used to be a brother, but i'm not a brother anymore" hit me right in the feels. I went to the theater to see this and glad I did. Zac Efron put out one of the greatest performances in his career here.
One of the most underrated films of 2023. Absolutely insane that the Academy overlooked this one.
Zac Effron and Jeremey Allen white was a REALLY good casting pair for this movie. Both solid actors. Zac is by far and away my favorite actor to come out of the Disney pipeline.
Been in long time a film grabbed me this hard and I had to fight tears. I personally didn't want to see it and went with a die hard wrestling friend of mine. Never really liked wrestling, but without question, I'm purchasing this film on Blu-Ray. It's just that good. My outlook on Zac Efron has changed, as well. The man can act. The ending, The Drinker talks about. Yea, I was was shedding tears by that time. The brothers had an immense love for each other that is quite striking. I started researching the film and come to found out they toned the tragedies that within the family had. Spoiler Alert: for instance, Kerry lost both legs eventually but it was never publically announced. Interestingly enough, Kevin Von Erich stated on several interviews that the film makes Fritz more of a villain than he was in real life. He states that he didn't hate his father and that his father was a really good man. That he always knew his father loved him. Either way, it's a shame this film didn't get more recognition.
I remember Kerry as "The Texas Tornado" in the WWF over 30 years ago. I had no idea at the time about his family, or other wrestling organisations. I was 11, obsessed with WWF on Sky One each weekend. Thank You drinker, for reviewing this movie. I agree that, with multiple characters and years of history to uncover and cover, I felt some of it moving over things quickly. Perhaps as a mini-series online, it could have worked even better. Its a great movie neverless. Jeremy Allen White is terrific. I loved him in the US rendition of "Shameless".
Movie of the year for me.Zack needs to be recognized for this one.
I watched this one in an empty cinema. A wonderful movie. Hats off to Zac Efron and to others.
Saw this one twice in the cinema. The lakeside scene at the end had me in tears. Also, I can never get enough Lily James, and she was great here.
I’m all for movie criticism, but I gotta say, this is pretty much as close to perfect as a movie that I’ve ever seen. The cinematography, acting, pacing, and messages are all handled with maestro level eloquence. And I left the theater-depressing as it is-oddly enough inspired to be better by Effron. His character arc shows what I believe to be a truly great man. A man who values his career and works to death for it, but nothing will ever top his relationships and commitments to his family. I love how it ends with him going on to be a great family man.
zac efron not being nominated for any awards was wack
I just watched it. I didn't know much about wrestling. I watched it in the late 90s/early 2000s, but that's it. It's a good movie for anyone that has brothers, especially if you had emotionally distant parents. I teared up towards the end too.
One of the movies that actually made me cry. Such a good uplifting first half, and such a good but depressing second half. I recommend this movie to anyone because this is not just a wrestling movie, but a family movie
I saw the Dark side of the ring about the Von Erichs, my mom and sister got to see them wrestler.
That Dark side of the ring was one of the best ones.
@@shaungarrett5291 yeah but tragic
@stsolomon618 the story is undoubtedly tragic.
Only thing I didn't like about it: despite the movie not making it clear the father is clearly a psycho and the last real curse in that family.
I don’t know what they could’ve done to make it clearer than they already did, if you watched this and thought that this element wasn’t obvious….I don’t know what to say
Leaving Chris Von Erich was one of my biggest gripes with the movie, but I still loved it, however the movie just leaves you wanting more. If you'd like to learn more of "The Von Erich Tragedy", watch Dark Side of the Ring.
My cable system started getting World Class Championship Wrestling in 1980 when I was 10 and I was immediately hooked. Significant things and good main events always happened on their shows, so I never missed it. I loved this movie, I really did. I fought back the tears for pretty much the entire time. Great performances from so many of the cast, and the song "Live That Way Forever" accentuated the entire mood. ***** Fun fact: Mike was a cameraman for the promotion before he became a wrestler and the comment he makes about the camera angles is truly significant. WCCW was the first to put them on the ring to really bring in the TV audiences. I'm thrilled to know you enjoyed the film, too, Drinker. Now, GO AWAY!
Zac Efron broke his jaw btw, he had to get emergency surgery and botox constantly causing his facial appearance to be much more bloated
That didn’t happen
That didn’t happen
I grew up in Fort Worth. I was 5 years old in 1980 the first time my uncle took me to the sportatorium in Dallas. From that point on Kerry von Erich was my hero throughout my childhood. Though I hadn't watched wrestling in quite some time I was devastated when I found out he took his own life. I was only 5 so I barely remember it but I also recall when David died all of DFW was in mourning for a week so. Those guys meant a lot to this area back then.
I did not expect such a role from Zac Efron. I'm positively surprised. Respect
I was watching this on the plane today and when all the dead brothers embraced each other I had to hide my tears. They finally found peace from their demons. What a fantastic movie.
"I now walk with my brothers" fucking got me man
Thank you Drinker. Great review
If you look up the history of World Class Championship Wrestling, you'll see that not only was it an innovative promotion working out television deals and production values that were ahead of its time for the day, but that the Von Erich mystique was almost mythical. For as much as the Sportatorium was a real hole as far as being a venue is concerned, it resonated with unbelievable matches in front of consistently sellout crowds, especially during the Von Erich-Freebirds feud days. Wrestlers of that era would tell you that the Texas style of wrestling, especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was pretty rough and tumble. A lot of those chops and kicks had legitimate force behind it. In one interview I watched, The Undertaker describes his very first wrestling match which was against Bruiser Brody, may he RIP. It was brutal and left him sprawled out for real in the ring. I loved watching those matches as much as I could. The Von Erich story is such an incredible saga. For those of us who grew up and thoroughly invested ourselves in old school, no frills wrestling, it was epic. Thanks for a great review Critical Drinker. You can bet I'll be watching this the first chance I get.
I’m so dam happy your praising this film Drinker . I grew up a huge wrestling fan and was always aware of the Von Erich tradegy . I’m glad we finally got a movie doing their story Justice . Rip von Erich’s ! 😢
What a pleasant surprise. Thank you Drinker, for the review!
The iron claw is one of the best biopech's movie I ever seen.
Been waiting for this one, thank you
Glad you covered this. I was likely going to skip this one but I'd like to see it now
YESSS I was waiting for you to review this
Me and few friends that I work out with saw this movie "blind", we didn't do any prior research on events/characters. We saw that it had wrestling and working out in it. Let's just say that the first hour didn't prepare us for the final 50 minutes. The ending scenes with the "reunion" and Kevin watching his kids play had all of us bawling out eyes out.
I didn't even know of this film, looks beautiful, thanks drinker!
Thanks drinker…always finding good movies for us regular people to watch.
One of the most emotional movies I’ve ever watched I came in with zero expectations and little to no knowledge of the premise and left in awe almost in tears
This film took me back to my youth. Very well done ❤️
story is so sad, wonderful movie, Zac Efron is amazing
I haven’t cried in a movie in 20 years. This one did it. As a fan of the Von Erich’s since childhood so a movie version of their stories was inevitable. It’s such a good movie
When I saw the trailer for the ironclaw it took me a hot second to realize that that was Zac Efron and I'm telling myself damn that boy has got range and he's come a long way from his time in Disney in high school musical. Even if the film doesn't do well we can at least count on Efron to at least put in his A game and I'm all for supporting his acting career even further. I haven't watched a movie yet but I will be watching it at some point.
Holt McCallanay is an underrated character actor.
I saw this film during the holidays and I have to say I was surprisingly shocked by how much I liked it.
Finished to see it moments ago. I cried like a real man.