Max True Sports Story Is The Greatest Tragedy Imaginable

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 25 seconds ago

Ask someone to name the greatest wrestler of the 80s, and you’ll be able to tell if they lived in the Northeast, which was WWF and Hulk Hogan territory, the Southeast, which was Ric Flair’s country, or Texas, which was belongs to the Von Erichs. A talented wrestling family led by their patriarch, Fritz Von Erich, wrestling brothers Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris helped the World Class Wrestling Champion take over the Sportatorium in Dallas every week. Now, you don’t need to go into depths The Wrestling Observer to learn the history of the Von Erichs thanks to The Iron Clawstreaming on Max.

Victory And Heartbreak Of The First Class

An A24 produce, The Iron Clawnamed after Fritz’s last move, takes you through the rise and fall of the first Family of Wrestling. From the beginning, with Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simons) trying to break into the business, to Kerry’s (Jeremy Allen White) success in the WWF and the constant string of heartbreaking tragedies, that even one of them breaking up a family forever, the film doesn’t seem to pull any punches. Except it does.

The Iron Claw it bounces between heartfelt optimism and overwhelming tragedy at the drop of a hat, and it’s all focused on Kevin’s perspective, which makes sense, as he’s the only brother who’s still alive and has been involved of making the film. It’s not a spoiler that multiple brothers end up killing themselves, after all, this is all based on a true story and everything happened, and really, the movie isn’t nearly as dark as real life ok Von Erichs.

The film combines the brothers, Mike and Chris, into one character, taking aspects of the real life fate of the two. In The Iron ClawMike wants to get in the ring and be like his bigger, more athletic brothers, which was Chris’s trait in real life, but the way he’s injured happened to Mike during a wrestling tour. If the multiple suicides in the film seem a little, just know that they took one out, and it is still one of the most tragic stories ever depicted on film.

Wrestling’s Greatest Tragedies

I’ve been a wrestling fan since 1993 when I begged my parents to book the Royal Rumble, so the Von Erichs were before my time. I wasn’t really aware of Kerry, known as The Texas Tornado in the WWF, thanks to his cool spinning action figure, but it wasn’t until I logged onto America Online and started wandering wrestling forums that I learned about the Von Erichs. For decades in wrestling circles, they were known as tragic figures, and that’s why The Iron Claw announced it, bracket fans themselves, knew what was going to happen.

And yet, even knowing their fate, The Iron Claw is an incredible experience for fans and non-wrestlers alike, thanks to stellar performances from everyone, including Maura Tierney and Holt McCallany as the parents, Doris and Fritz, and Lily Allen as Pam Adkisson in a burst of energy whenever she’s on screen. Less impressive is the Ric Flair impersonator they brought in, who does a worse job than Jay Lethal bringing the Nature Boy to life.

Best Movie of the Decade

Despite the vitality of the Von Erich story and the disputed factual accuracy of some of the events, including Jerry Jarrett’s involvement, The Iron Claw is a must-see biopic that spotlights one of wrestling’s most famous families. Once you see it, you’ll wonder why it was left out of all the major award shows, and you’ll walk away with the opinion that Kevin Von Erich’s greatest role Zac Efron. There are a few films every decade that stand outwas heralded as a “must see” by cinephiles and theatergoers once a year alike, and for this decade, it The Iron Claw.

The Iron Claw is currently streaming on Max.