The Iron Claw - Reviews

Efron is near-unrecognisable here – almost as broad as he is tall, and with thickened features that make as poignant an impression as his acting...

...the performances are good, the country-rock soundtrack evocative, and the scenes in which the brothers goof about in the sunshine make you genuinely hope they’ll succeed.

...in this age of franchise vapidity, it’s still a film worth grappling with.

...grips viewers with its dark tale about the company of men.

From bell to bell, Zac Efron is the main event in A24's boilerplate biopic about one of professional wrestling's most storied, and tormented, families.

...crowd-pleasing wrestling saga grapples with toxic masculinity.

...a heartbreaking dissection of fraternal tragedy.

From tribulations and triumphs to tragedies, Durkin wields this true-life saga with the precision of a scalpel to expose the underlying agonies of American fathers, sons, and brothers.

...the sickest part of the film is that the manicured, but still tragic, tale made me want to watch more wrestling.

It’s the biopic for wrestling fans who don’t like biopics, and the wrestling movie for biopic fans who don’t like wrestling.

The deep emotional success of The Iron Claw all relies on a remarkable cast – most especially the four brothers, at ease with each other but fatally at odds with themselves.

...is a film about burden, but it endures as a powerful ensemble piece weighted by Efron’s extraordinary evolution.

DoP Mátyás Erdély brings his camera in tight during the body-slamming action, so much so that you can almost smell the baby oil.

...bjuder på fin underhållning, ett stycke spännande historia, bra skådisinsatser, en skön visuell värld, samt en och annan lärdom om toxisk maskulinitet.