Originally published to 8 News Now on December 14, 2023.

The Iron Claw isn’t about professional wrestling as much as it is about professional wrestlers. Based on the true and tragic story of the Von Erich family, the film could be centered around any industry in which a family works together to cement its legacy.

And family is at the core of The Iron Claw. Zac Efron, who clearly transformed himself physically for this role, anchors the family as Kevin Von Erich, the elder of the Von Erich brothers. Kevin’s stoicism and muted response as the world falls apart around him and his family becomes one of the core struggles in the plot. The other featured brothers of the Von Erich family, Kerry, David, and Mike, portrayed capably by Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simmons, respectively, build the sturdy emotional spine of the film.

They join other devastatingly authentic performances from Maura Tierney as Von Erich matriarch Doris and Lily James as Kevin’s wife, Pam. Holt McCallany portrays Fritz, the father of the Von Erich boys. McCallany, while serviceable, may represent the weakest point in an otherwise solid group of performances by bringing a made-for-TV-movie dad energy in his portrayal of Fritz, who guides the family with a firm hand (or Iron Claw, as it were.)

Strangely, there are many moments in its runtime when The Iron Claw finds itself mirroring a horror movie, not in the sense that there are jump scares or suspenseful chase sequences; there aren’t. Instead, as each dreaded misfortune strikes the Von Erich family, the impulse to look away from the screen is intense. Indeed, The Iron Claw induces more gasps and audible reactions from its audience than recent “scary movies.”

Those looking for inside knowledge and insight into professional wrestling may want to look elsewhere. Even the very nature of “sports entertainment” falls into a somewhat shadowy gray zone in The Iron Claw, where winning and losing in a pre-determined sport seems to be conflated with the real-life successes and failures of the Von Erich family. Championships are won and lost, and title opportunities are gained and taken away without any tether the booking, or determination of who wins or loses matches. The ambiguity becomes an issue, with each match shown being treated as if it were a puppet with no one pulling the strings. During a pivotal match between Kevin Von Erich and Ric Flair, the result is played as wild and unpredictable, even if the nature of professional wrestling would preclude that from being the case. Even Flair’s reaction to the finish muddies the waters.

Putting the murky characterization of the sport of professional wrestling aside, The Iron Claw is a heartbreaking story about a family collapsing under the weight of its own expectations and, in some cases, bad luck. With excellent performances from Efron and James, the sad and stark true story manages to find a hopeful ending, making for a touching cinematic experience and one worth seeing on the big screen.

The Iron Claw is in theaters on Dec. 22.