--- title: "The Iron Claw" year: 2023 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw" fi1m_id: "the-iron-claw" imdb_id: "tt21064584" tmdb_id: 850165 wikidata_id: "Q114901506" fi1m_score: 71 critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 18 published: "2026-09-09" updated: "2026-10-06T10:36:23.654901+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Iron Claw (2023) Directed by Sean Durkin · 2h 13m · MPA R · Drama, History, Sport ## Identity The Iron Claw - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-iron-claw - **IMDb ID:** tt21064584 - **TMDB ID:** 850165 - **Wikidata ID:** Q114901506 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21064584/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/850165, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114901506 **Fi1m score: 71** · Critics 70 from 18 reviews *In a sentence:* Zac Efron built like a wardrobe, looking at his father like a boy waiting to be told well done > Sean Durkin’s film about the Von Erich wrestling family is sincere, well cast and quieter than its story, and it hurries through griefs it should sit with. It is worth an evening for the brothers, for Efron, and for one late scene that undid us. ## Synopsis In 1980s Texas, Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany), a wrestler who never won the world title he wanted, runs a promotion out of the Dallas Sportatorium and raises four sons to win it for him. Kevin (Zac Efron), the eldest at home, is the loyal one, working the ring every week and checking his father’s face after each match. David (Harris Dickinson) has the gift of the gab, Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) is the athlete, and Mike (Stanley Simons) would rather be playing in a band. Their mother Doris (Maura Tierney) prays and keeps house. Kevin meets Pam (Lily James), who asks him out before he can think of a reason not to. Then the family’s run of luck begins to turn. ## Review Sean Durkin’s third film, after *Martha Marcy May Marlene* and *The Nest*, tells the story of the Von Erichs, a Texas wrestling family run by a father who never won the belt he wanted and has four sons to win it for him. Kevin (Zac Efron) narrates. David (Harris Dickinson) can talk, Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) can throw, and Mike (Stanley Simons) would rather be in a band. What follows is a run of misfortune the family came to call a curse. Durkin tells it plainly and with care, and he tells it too fast. It is a good film with a better one inside it. The brothers are the reason to see it. Efron has made himself into a shape that looks uncomfortable to stand in, all neck and shoulder and tiny trunks, and he plays Kevin as a boy inside that body, a man who can throw another man across a ring and still cannot hold his father’s eye. He says little and does most of his acting with his mouth shut. Dickinson gives David the ease of the son who knows he is liked, and White plays Kerry as someone who has decided to be happy and is working at it. Simons’s Mike is the one who visibly does not belong in the ring, and the film is gentle with him. When the four of them are together, wrestling on the lawn, piling into a car, sitting on a bed too small for them, the film is at its best. Holt McCallany’s Fritz is a large, courteous, frightening man who ranks his sons at the breakfast table and tells them the rankings can change. He never raises his voice, which is the point. Maura Tierney’s Doris says almost nothing and gets up from the table when the men start talking, and the film lets us decide what she knows. Lily James’s Pam is the only person in the house who says what she thinks, and her scenes with Efron have a lightness the rest of the film could have used more of. Mátyás Erdély shoots the Sportatorium under flat white light, so the ring sits like a lit table in a dark hall of folding chairs, and the family ranch in amber lamps and wood panelling, where everyone looks slightly tanned and slightly tired. James Price’s sets have the right tattiness: tin roof, painted plywood, a dressing room with one mirror. Jennifer Starzyk’s costumes put the boys in cowboy shirts and their father in a suit that is always a shade too formal for the occasion. Richard Reed Parry’s score is mostly held notes and low hum, and it is used sparingly, which we were grateful for. The trouble is pace, and it starts in the second half. Matthew Hannam cuts the first hour with patience, but once the misfortunes begin the film moves from one to the next before we have finished with the last, and the effect is not grief so much as a list. Durkin’s script raises the idea of the curse, as superstition, as bad luck and as something Fritz might have brought on himself, and then declines to take a view. The wrestling is staged as work, which is honest, and the matches rarely thrill because of it. And the real family had a fifth brother, Chris, who is simply not in the film; nothing is said about this, and anyone who knows the story will notice the gap. Here is what we felt. For long stretches we admired the film from a slight distance, the way you might a well-kept grave. Then, late on, there is a scene involving Kevin that we will not describe, and it moved us more than anything in the previous hour had led us to expect. Efron does it with his face and a couple of lines. It made us cross, briefly, that the film had spent so much of its length hurrying past the moments that might have earned it sooner. *The Nest* was a small film about a family in which nothing much happened and everything did. This is a big film about a family in which everything happens, and Durkin keeps the same cool distance, which suits a marriage going quietly wrong better than it suits four brothers going loudly under. Still, the performances are all good and two are better than that. Take it in on a night when you have someone to talk to afterwards. It runs 133 minutes and carries a 15. *Fi1m score 71, published 9 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like The Iron Claw, and nearly all of them like Zac Efron: his performance as Kevin Von Erich is praised in almost every review, for the physical transformation and for what he does with a character who says little. The ensemble of brothers, the period detail and the way the film handles the wrestling world also draw steady approval. The reservations cluster around feeling. A sizeable minority finds the tragedies oddly muted and held at a distance, with The Guardian calling the retelling underpowered and opaque and RogerEbert.com finding it empty despite the story it has to tell. Several reviews, including /Film and RogerEbert.com, object to the omission of one of the brothers, and The AV Club thinks it moves too fast as the tragedies pile up. The spread is wide: the warmest notices call it a wrenching family tragedy, the coolest a clinical one, and the difference is almost entirely about whether the restraint works. ## Straight answers **Is The Iron Claw worth watching?** *The Iron Claw* is worth an evening for anyone who wants a family drama built on performances rather than on the wrestling, and we scored it 71. Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White and Stanley Simons are the reason to see it as four brothers under a courteous, frightening father. The second half hurries through the family's griefs, and it moved us less than it should have until one late scene did. **How long is The Iron Claw, and what is it rated?** *The Iron Claw* runs 2h 13m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and history film. **Where can I watch The Iron Claw in the US?** *The Iron Claw* is streaming on The Roku Channel and Tubi in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $4.99. It leaves The Roku Channel on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Iron Claw, and is it suitable for children?** *The Iron Claw* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not for children. The wrestling is staged as work rather than spectacle, and the violence is that of the ring, but the film is a story of a family's run of misfortune and grief, and the tone is heavy throughout. Older teenagers who can sit with sadness will manage it; there is little to frighten and a good deal to sadden. **How does The Iron Claw compare to The Wrestler?** *The Iron Claw* is a family drama about four brothers and the father who ranks them, while [*The Wrestler*](https://film.one/film/the-wrestler) is a portrait of one man whose body is finally sending the bill for the same trade. Aronofsky's film is the tighter and the more affecting, carried by Mickey Rourke's tenderness and humour. Durkin's is cooler and broader, best for its brothers and for Efron, and it rushes where the earlier film lingers. **What should I watch after The Iron Claw?** After *The Iron Claw*, try [*The Wrestler*](https://film.one/film/the-wrestler) (2008, Fi1m 85): The same trade, twenty years on, with the body finally sending the bill. Then [*Foxcatcher*](https://film.one/film/foxcatcher) (2014, Fi1m 82): Another rich man, another pair of brothers, and the same slow, cold dread; and [*Fat City*](https://film.one/film/fat-city) (1972, Fi1m 73): Huston’s boxing film about men who are not going to make it and know. ### Reviews we read (27) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (Critics Pick): The critic calls it an absorbing true-life drama with a superb ensemble cast, highlighting Zac Efron's impressive physical transformation and the film's convincing period atmosphere that captures the media theatrics of wrestling. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white-1235823670/) - **IndieWire** (B+): A heart-shattering wrestling epic and true-life American tragedy that is the heavyweight tear-jerker of the year, with Zac Efron giving the performance of a lifetime as the heart and soul of the film. It praises the cathartic emotional release and sincere re-telling of the family saga. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-iron-claw-review-1234934419/) - **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (4/4/4): Durkin’s searing new drama focuses on the incredible story of the Von Erich Brothers, dogged by personal tragedy but made in the spirit of tribute with emotional honesty and narrative sincerity. A cast firing on all cylinders delivers a magnificent, Shakespearian tragedy. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-iron-claw) - **The AV Club**, Matt Schimkowitz (B-): A beautifully performed but hurried biopic that stumbles into cliché as tragedies pile up and moves too fast, though it finds footing in slower, lyrical moments of shared pain. It singles out Zac Efron's captivating, emotionally complex lead performance and the palpable brother chemistry for praise. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-iron-claw-movie-review-zac-efron-1851041218) - **Radio Times**, Matt Glasby (3/5): This true-life drama explores the legacy of an American wrestling dynasty and promises much in the way of muscle-bound tragedy, with good performances and evocative atmosphere. The scriptwriting is at times so heavy-handed it feels like Durkin’s wielding an iron claw of his own. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-iron-claw-review/) - **The Telegraph** (3/5): The film takes an odd approach to the desperately sad real-life story and fails to pack a punch, with wrestling action lacking impact compared to the traumas outside the ring. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white/) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (50/100, inferred): The film holds its tragic subjects at a brawny arm's length with calculated restraint, risking reducing characters to martyrs of toxic masculinity, though a late sequence drops into Kevin's grief and proves devastating. It singles out the earnest, corny final emotional payoff for praise while wishing for more raw sadness. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-iron-claw-should-be-even-sadder.html) - **RogerEbert.com**, Christy Lemire (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film empty and superficial despite its dramatic true story, criticizing one-note characters and lack of development, while praising Efron's performance and the cast's physical transformations. The omission of one brother and an ill-advised magical realism element are noted as flaws. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-iron-claw-movie-review-2023) - **The Guardian** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds Durkin’s straightforward retelling underpowered and frustratingly opaque despite committed performances. The family curse is presented as superstition, reality and a cover for mental illness but the tragedies feel at a remove. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/12/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron) - **Empire**, Beth Webb: The critic praises the film's focus on burden, grief and family dynamics through an excellent ensemble cast, with Zac Efron's career-best physical and emotional performance standing out. Durkin is commended for presenting the wrestling world as tragic beauty in a haunting, ambitious study of duty. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-iron-claw/) - **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★★★☆): One of the most mournful American movies in years, a true family biopic that aches with melancholy as it depicts the Von Erichs grappling with trauma. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/ae6838b8-b5db-471f-a199-0ee58ac08485) - **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh: The critic sees it as a mythic evocation of the cursed Von Erich clan, praising the performances especially Zac Efron's sweet portrayal of the protective brother and the exploration of dysfunctional family dynamics under a controlling father. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-12-22/the-iron-claw-review-von-erichs-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white-wrestling) - **Screen Daily**: Telling the true story of a decorated wrestling family dogged by relentless tragedy, The Iron Claw is a profoundly sobering tale wrapped in a mystery of fate and curses. Bolstered by fragile, lived-in performances led by Zac Efron’s astonishing turn, the picture asks troubling questions about fate, fathers and ambition. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-iron-claw-review/5187951.article) - **Sight and Sound**: Sean Durkin’s elegant portrait of the Von Erich wrestling family shows how hard-driven masculine legacy can both enrich and devastate a family. Zac Efron’s central performance is devastating as grief empties out the character on a cellular level, leaving a palpable ache. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/iron-claw-devastating-story-real-wrestling-legend) - **Slant Magazine**, Marshall Shaffer: Durkin wields the true-life saga with scalpel-like precision to expose the agonies of fathers, sons, and brothers, melding reverence for wrestling with rigor in revealing rather than proclaiming themes. It singles out Zac Efron's portrayal of internal anguish and the euphoric ring sequences with the brothers for praise. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-sean-durkin/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The film is conventional but affecting, competently executed with a solid ensemble and vivid sense of place, though its emotional impact feels oddly muted despite the string of tragedies. It singles out the visceral wrestling scenes and strong performances, especially from Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White, for praise. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white-1235732693/) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): A strange and beguiling film that excels in portraying fraternal love, with Zac Efron immense in physique and emotional intensity as Kevin. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-iron-claw-fim-review-zac-efron-excels-in-this-tragic-wrestling-tale-0dl9lch6w) - **Total Film**, Neil Smith: The critic highlights the film's sensitive handling of triumph and tragedy in the Von Erich family's story, respecting wrestling while exploring its costs. Zac Efron's transformation and the ensemble's work are singled out for praise amid the fatalistic tone. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-iron-claw-review/) - **Consequence**, Clint Worthington (A): Writer/director Sean Durkin adapts the Von Erich story as a big, tear-jerking melodrama about a family uplifted and destroyed by the competitiveness of professional wrestling, with Fritz as a stern taskmaster pitting his sons against each other. The brothers' deep love for each other shines through amid the father's manipulation and the tragic turns that follow. [Read](https://consequence.net/2023/12/the-iron-claw-review-von-erichs/) - **Collider**, Lisa Laman (85/100, inferred): The film explores the Von Erich family's toxic dynamics and abusive parenting, which lead to tragedy, while portraying the brothers as multidimensional characters experiencing everyday joys alongside sorrow. Durkin injects emotional reality into the story despite some biopic conventions, delivering a haunting drama powered by a standout performance from Zac Efron. [Read](https://collider.com/the-iron-claw-movie-review/) - **/Film**, BJ Colangelo (8.5/10): Durkin delivers an emotionally eviscerating drama that captures the Von Erich brothers' bond and tragedies with masterful ensemble performances led by a career-best Zac Efron, while lovingly depicting wrestling. The omission of Chris Von Erich stands out as a notable shortcoming in an otherwise cathartic and respectful portrait. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1467941/the-iron-claw-review/) - **Polygon**, Chris Plante (85/100, inferred): Durkin adapts the Von Erich lives like a Greek tragedy in spandex, with a domineering father pushing his sons toward a championship that will be their undoing. Zac Efron delivers one of the year’s sweetest, saddest performances as Kevin, conjuring magic from a character with few words while the film balances soapy melodrama, brawls, and tragedy. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23997696/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron/) - **Film Stories**, Maria Lattila (80/100, inferred): The film powerfully explores toxic masculinity, fathers and sons, and brotherhood through the Von Erich story, with standout performances especially from Zac Efron as Kevin. The final scene delivers exceptional emotional impact, though some characters feel underdeveloped and the omission of one brother is noted as a flaw. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-iron-claw-review-a-powerful-moving-ode-to-brotherhood/) - **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (80/100, inferred): Sean Durkin’s film about the Von Erich wrestling dynasty is a sports movie with genuine existential heft, evoking a bygone era of wrestling while centering the pushy patriarch Fritz and the dutiful but haunted Kevin. Zac Efron’s sensitive performance drives the story of familial love, competition, and devastating loss. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2023/12/21/movies/the-iron-claw-movie-review-zac-efron-von-erich-family) - **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The review portrays the film as an unexpected male weepie that explores father-son tensions and family tragedy more than wrestling action, delivering strong emotional impact. It singles out Zac Efron's dominant physical and sensitive performance along with the believable ensemble of brothers. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white/) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (75/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a relentlessly sad and grim true story of the Von Erich brothers' tragedies under a domineering father, but notes its focus on brotherhood and humanity in dark circumstances. It singles out the outstanding cast performances, led by Zac Efron, and the director's skill with actors. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/12/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-wrestles-with-brotherhood-pain-grief-a24s-relentlessly-sad-true-texas-family-tale-1235663016/) - **NME**, James Mottram (55/100, inferred): The film is a clinical look at the Von Erich family's tragedies that lacks emotional impact and explosive confrontations. It is still worth watching in an age of franchise films, with strong performances and a vivid sense of the wrestling world. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white-3583830) ## Details - **Director:** Sean Durkin - **Director:** Sean Durkin - **Writer:** Sean Durkin - **Cinematography:** Mátyás Erdély - **Editor:** Matthew Hannam - **Music:** Richard Reed Parry - **Production design:** James Price - **Costume design:** Jennifer Starzyk - **Producer:** Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Angus Lamont - **Cast:** Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich; Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich; Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich; Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich; Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich; Maura Tierney as Doris Von Erich; Lily James as Pam; Grady Wilson as Young Kevin - **Runtime:** 2h 13m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 22 December 2023 - **Genres:** Drama, History, Sport - **Budget:** $16 million - **Box office:** $40 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KVsaoveTbw ## Where to watch in the US - The Roku Channel: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Tubi: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: rent $4.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $19.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PT, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Wrestler* (2008), Fi1m 85: The same trade, twenty years on, with the body finally sending the bill. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wrestler.md) - *Foxcatcher* (2014), Fi1m 82: Another rich man, another pair of brothers, and the same slow, cold dread. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/foxcatcher.md) - *The Nest* (2020): Durkin’s previous film, a marriage and a house going wrong at the same speed. - *Fat City* (1972), Fi1m 73: Huston’s boxing film about men who are not going to make it and know. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fat-city.md) - *Ordinary People* (1980), Fi1m 81: A family after a loss, in which the one who stayed does the suffering. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ordinary-people.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw