2 Years Later and This A24 Film Is Still the Best
A24 has consistently given us some of the best movies out there. And they have mastered the art of the biopic. Their slate of “based on a true story” films are some of the best around, including 2025’s The Smashing Machine and Warfare. But their best just turned 2 years old: The Iron Claw.
The Sean Durkin film tells the story of the Von Erich brothers. The six sons of Fritz Von Erich and his wife, Doris, may have found success briefly but five of the brothers would be met with tragic ends, leaving Kevin Von Erich as the only remaining Von Erich brother.
Kevin (Zac Efron) is the second oldest Von Erich. Their oldest brother, Jack Jr., died as a baby. Then there is David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris. In The Iron Claw, the film put elements of Chris and Mike’s story into the character of Mike Von Erich, played by Stanley Simons. Why? Because the inclusion of Chris would have pushed the film “too far” and was too sad. Which, if you’ve seen The Iron Claw, you know how sad the film already is.
In real life, Chris Von Erich had brittle bones and still wrestled to try and please his father. The character of Mike combined what happened to both Mike and Chris, the two brothers ending their own lives in the true story. David (Harris Dickinson) and Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) were both famous wrestlers on their own, alongside Kevin.
Fritz was not a kind father and his determination to have his boys find the success he couldn’t find led to the deaths of 4 of his six children. Three of his sons died by suicide, Jack died in a drowning accident as a child. All this to say that their story (and film) is tragic.
“I used to be a brother”
Even with the exclusion of a brother, The Iron Claw does a pretty incredible job balancing the intrigue of the Von Erich family with the wrestling aspects. It all leads to one of the most impactful final moments from a movie.
At the end of the A24 film, Kevin Von Erich is left sitting alone, his boys playing in the yard, and he’s overcome with emotion. Kevin tells them that he “used to be a brother” and they tell him he can be one with them but the idea that, to Kevin, he’s no longer a brother hurts. His brothers are gone but he’s still a big brother.
It ended up wrecking me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I knew about the Von Erichs, growing up in a wrestling family, but I still wasn’t prepared for how sad The Iron Claw would make me feel and now that the film is 2 years old, it is important to shout out the movie. It is one of Efron’s best roles and I still think that it didn’t get the love it deserved when it came out so why not sing its praise now?
(featured image: A24)
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