I spent 15 years around the pro wrestling business, from 1981 till 1996, and spent my share of time around World Class Wrestling. For decades, I've imagined a movie about the Von Erichs that could live up to their legend and their tragedies.
I had high hopes for The Iron Claw, but I left the theater disappointed. I wanted a home run. It's not a swing and a miss; more like a foul tip into the stands.
I wanted to love this movie, but I just can't -- it doesn't know whether it's telling Kevin's story or the family's story. It ignores one of the Von Erich brothers entirely: Chris, who also committed suicide. In a movie about brothers and tragedy, how can you leave out a brother and a tragedy?
The Texas Stadium event, at which Kerry won the NWA World title from Ric Flair in memory of David (I was there), was an incredibly emotional day; fans were openly weeping when Kerry won the belt. It was a cornerstone of their in-ring legend, like Live Aid was a cornerstone of Freddie Mercury's career, but it's practically glossed over here.
I also found the pacing disturbing. It was slow moving, spending too much time on situations that didn't help the audience get invested in the characters as much as they could have. There was no dynamic range -- a tone is established early, then maintained for two hours. The emotional rollercoaster of their lives seems reduced to emotional cruise control.
Wrestling fans will probably be disturbed that David is pretty much the only Von Erich brother who looks like the actual Von Erich (Kerry looks like Marty Jannety; Kevin looks like Pete Rose). Ric Flair's interview elicited groans of disgust from the wrestling fans in the theater, though Harley Race and the Freebirds seemed to be pretty on point. The actual wrestling action itself is quite well done, and Holt McCallany is a terrific Fritz Von Erich.
There were occasional hints of the excellent film that might have been. The best example: Kerry meeting his brothers in the afterlife, one of the few scenes that succeeded in carrying real emotional impact. Given the family's story, "few" should have been "many" in that previous sentence. Knowing the real story as well as I do, I saw missed opportunities all over the screen.
All that said, I have yet to speak with anyone who has seen The Iron Claw who knows nothing of the story of the Von Erichs and little about pro wrestling. I can't help but wonder how the movie comes across to them. I suppose I'll find out in a week or two when I come back to this page and read user reviews.
I had high hopes for The Iron Claw, but I left the theater disappointed. I wanted a home run. It's not a swing and a miss; more like a foul tip into the stands.
I wanted to love this movie, but I just can't -- it doesn't know whether it's telling Kevin's story or the family's story. It ignores one of the Von Erich brothers entirely: Chris, who also committed suicide. In a movie about brothers and tragedy, how can you leave out a brother and a tragedy?
The Texas Stadium event, at which Kerry won the NWA World title from Ric Flair in memory of David (I was there), was an incredibly emotional day; fans were openly weeping when Kerry won the belt. It was a cornerstone of their in-ring legend, like Live Aid was a cornerstone of Freddie Mercury's career, but it's practically glossed over here.
I also found the pacing disturbing. It was slow moving, spending too much time on situations that didn't help the audience get invested in the characters as much as they could have. There was no dynamic range -- a tone is established early, then maintained for two hours. The emotional rollercoaster of their lives seems reduced to emotional cruise control.
Wrestling fans will probably be disturbed that David is pretty much the only Von Erich brother who looks like the actual Von Erich (Kerry looks like Marty Jannety; Kevin looks like Pete Rose). Ric Flair's interview elicited groans of disgust from the wrestling fans in the theater, though Harley Race and the Freebirds seemed to be pretty on point. The actual wrestling action itself is quite well done, and Holt McCallany is a terrific Fritz Von Erich.
There were occasional hints of the excellent film that might have been. The best example: Kerry meeting his brothers in the afterlife, one of the few scenes that succeeded in carrying real emotional impact. Given the family's story, "few" should have been "many" in that previous sentence. Knowing the real story as well as I do, I saw missed opportunities all over the screen.
All that said, I have yet to speak with anyone who has seen The Iron Claw who knows nothing of the story of the Von Erichs and little about pro wrestling. I can't help but wonder how the movie comes across to them. I suppose I'll find out in a week or two when I come back to this page and read user reviews.