Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw” is under strict review embargo. The above tweet reaction I posted will suffice, for now. It’s being released in theaters on December 22nd, via A24.
Durkin is coming off two above-average films, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” and “The Nest,” and I can confirm that, in my books, he’s now 3 for 3. Forget about any awards for this one, it’s just not that type of film. Unless the AMPAS is willing to sit down and watch 126 minutes of doom and gloom.
Sometimes a film just feels so lived-in, with just plain DREAD suffocating every frame. This is it. It helps that I had no idea about the true story the film is based on. It’s hellish stuff. Durkin seems to really love his feel-bad stories.
The drama tells the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport in the US from the 1960s to present day.
Many believed the Von Erich’s were the unfortunate recipients of a curse known as the “Von Eric Curse.” You should look it up, this family has had a lot of misfortunes and tragedies come their way in the last six or so decades.
The film, produced by A24, stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Holt McCallany, Maura Tierney and Lily James.