The Iron Claw Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

When a biopic starts out with the words, “Inspired by a true story,” it can go one of several ways, depending on your knowledge of the subject matter and your willingness to suspend a desire for accuracy in favor of “entertainment value.”

As a movie, The Iron Claw was a fantastically tragic retelling of the Von Erich family’s rise and dramatic fall. While not entirely historically accurate, the film mostly adhered to the major events that plagued the family.

But the sequencing of these events get jumbled about, with some details changed and others omitted entirely for the sake of the story. Fans – particularly those who didn’t follow these events firsthand in the 80s and 90s – who also can brush this aside and enjoy the movie will come away with a deeper connection to the Von Erich story.

Film reviewers will undoubtedly have different takes on The Iron Claw based on cinematography, plotting, pacing, camerawork and other qualities. From a wrestling perspective, the movie has to be viewed as a huge success, bringing this tragedy into the public eye for a larger audience while maintaining the spirit of the tale.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the movie is how it takes a pure wrestling story and molds it into a tragedy that non-wrestling fans can thoroughly enjoy and appreciate. It can suck a casual viewer in and leave them wanting to learn more about the Von Erich curse. Despite some truly dark material, the film manages to find a silver lining in it all, meager though it might seem.

Let’s get to it…