--- title: "The Iron Claw: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 18 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): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 18 reviews: 12 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative. 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. ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critics Pick. 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white-1235823670/) ## IndieWire Rating B+. 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-iron-claw-review-1234934419/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/4/4. 8 February 2024. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-iron-claw) ## The AV Club — Matt Schimkowitz Rating B-. 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-iron-claw-movie-review-zac-efron-1851041218) ## Radio Times — Matt Glasby Rating 3/5. 7 February 2024. 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-iron-claw-review/) ## The Telegraph Rating 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-iron-claw-should-be-even-sadder.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Christy Lemire Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-iron-claw-movie-review-2023) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/12/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron) ## Empire — Beth Webb 22 January 2024. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-iron-claw/) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★★☆. 8 February 2024. 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 the review](https://www.ft.com/content/ae6838b8-b5db-471f-a199-0ee58ac08485) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh 22 December 2023. 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 the review](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 12 December 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-iron-claw-review/5187951.article) ## Sight and Sound 6 February 2024. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/iron-claw-devastating-story-real-wrestling-legend) ## Slant Magazine — Marshall Shaffer 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-sean-durkin/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white-1235732693/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 9 February 2024. A strange and beguiling film that excels in portraying fraternal love, with Zac Efron immense in physique and emotional intensity as Kevin. [Read the review](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 5 February 2024. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-iron-claw-review/) ## Consequence — Clint Worthington Rating A. 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://consequence.net/2023/12/the-iron-claw-review-von-erichs/) ## Collider — Lisa Laman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://collider.com/the-iron-claw-movie-review/) ## /Film — BJ Colangelo Rating 8.5/10. 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1467941/the-iron-claw-review/) ## Polygon — Chris Plante Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23997696/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2024. 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 the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-iron-claw-review-a-powerful-moving-ode-to-brotherhood/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.theringer.com/2023/12/21/movies/the-iron-claw-movie-review-zac-efron-von-erich-family) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2023. 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 the review](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 Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 7 February 2024. 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 the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-iron-claw-review-zac-efron-jeremy-allen-white-3583830) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw.md