Iron Claw (2023)

 

THE IRON CLAW is a late addition to the years prestige  films. Not officially screened for critics or audiences until late in the year, there were whispers that it was a ploy by A24 to storm the Oscars by having it appear when the dust had settled on every other contender. I kind of understand that but personally I’m not certain the film would have reached the top of the heap.

The film is the story of the family of wrestler known as the Von Erichs. A legendary family that spanned generations, the family suffered more pain and suffering than is just. The parents of the boys were the poster people for abusive parenting. They drove their kids for their own glory and basically tolf them to sort it out for themselves when it turned to shit (blaming their sons for their own deaths). It’s a long tragic story that is crushing.

With the exception of one performance (I’ll come back to this in a minute) this is quite simply one of the best made films I’ve ever encountered. The film looks and feels exactly like the end of the 70’s and beginning of the 80’s. The TV recreations are spot on, and it was as if I was back 40 years. Seriously this is perfection. This is a magnificent portrait of the dangers of toxic masculinity and exploration of how men being allowed to be human can end the pain.

There is greatness here.

I have to say that with the exception of the WTF performance of Rick Flair everyone in this film is pretty much spot on with their portrayals of their characters. Sure Zac Efron is much too pumped for Kevin, but outside of that, all of the actors disappear into their roles. They are scary good. This is what Bradley Cooper failed to do in MAESTRO, where you never believed he was Bernstein. In IRON CLAW everyone is that person.

Well except for Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Ric Flair. He is beyond bad. In a bad fright wig he gets none of Flair’s mannerisms or vocal inflections right.  He is so bad he killed the film for me. Where the film was life, he made it all make believe.  I stopped loving the film and simply liked it.  The only thing right about the performance was the way they put blood in the gawd awful wig. I know I shouldn’t mention it but the performance is so bad that he took at least a star off any rating I might have given it.

It's so bad that with the spell broken I started to pick up problems I never noticed previously. As good as Efron is there is a point where he stops being part of events and all he does is observe, everything is happening outside of him. Kevin and his story, which should be the thread on which all of it hangs, stops being told except in shorthand. Some roles, such as the boys' mother is underwritten. I’m guessing in earlier drafts it was something but here she is largely unhelpful or just mourning her lost sons. The time frame of events is not always clear. Worst of all I started to question why they were telling me this story, since if you stop to look at it, I'm not sure the film has thematic point until the final fade out. Before the break I wasn’t thinking about it, after I questioned everything.

My quibbles side THE IRON CLAW is killer. It is a heart breaking tale of a cursed family being crushed by circumstances. It has some of the best performances of the year, and despite that it is going to make you cry, you need to see this.