The Iron Claw, the sports biopic starring Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White, has found a new streaming home on Prime Video, and we can’t think of a better option for fans of the genre. Though it flew under the radar when compared to other huge 2023 films, The Iron Claw earned plenty of critical acclaim — especially when it came to Efron’s gripping performance — and today, it holds an 89% critics’ score and 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is considered by many to be one of the greatest wrestling biopics of all time.
The film stars Efron and White alongside a slew of impressive performers, including Maura Tierney, Harris Dickinson, Holt McCallany, and Lily James. It was directed by Sean Durkin, famous for indie darlings Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest.
The Iron Claw tells the true story of the Von Erichs, a Texas family whose lives were shaped by the wrestling industry. Led by their father Fritz, the Von Erich siblings were top-class figures of the wrestling scene in the ’80s. Sadly, they also faced what can only be described as the so-called Von Erich family curse. The Rotten Tomatoes synopsis reads:
The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.
Writing for MovieWeb, Julian Roman said the following about The Iron Claw: “You root for the Von Erichs and feel the pain of harrowing losses. Their story is a cautionary tale of flawed ambition. Fame, money, and wrestling belts aren’t worth a family’s demise.”
Should ‘The Iron Claw’ Have Received More Recognition?
From the start of its limited run in theaters, The Iron Claw was widely acclaimed. Exceptional performances, stark realism, and a good balance between reality and fiction made the biopic a standout. Given the “based on a true story” element of the narrative, it seemed like the perfect fit for awards season, with Zac Efron being mentioned as a frontrunner for the Best Actor race.
The campaign didn’t work. Distributing studio A24 failed to secure more recognition for Efron, the supporting cast, and director Sean Durkin. Although the movie was a notable 2023 release, big studio films overshadowed it in the end, and the film wasn’t on the ballots for the Academy Awards or the Golden Globes.
Sports biopics tend to be recognized by the Oscars, at least in the nomination phase. I, Tonya, The Wrestler, Raging Bull, and Moneyball are only a few examples of how the subgenre has found itself recognized by voters. The Iron Claw presented a heartbreaking and compelling version of the story of the Von Erich family, and while it felt like Oscar material, it couldn’t compete with another biopic: Oppenheimer, the big winner of that year’s awards season.
- Release Date
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December 21, 2023
- Runtime
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132 minutes
- Director
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Sean Durkin
- Producers
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Angus Lamont, Derrin Schlesinger, Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Sean Durkin
