The Iron Claw Premiere Debuts Standout Performances From Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White

One of awards season’s few remaining wild cards, the A24 wrestling drama The Iron Claw, has finally been unveiled. After skipping the fall festival circuit, Sean Durkin’s retelling of the brawny Von Erich family’s triumphs and tragedies premiered in Dallas on Wednesday night, minutes after the audience erupted into cheers at the news that the Screen Actors Guild’s 118-day strike had come to an end. Stars like Jeremy Allen White even learned about the strike’s end while walking the red carpet: 

“It’s a real privilege to make movies, but to make movies about your childhood heroes is a lifelong dream,” Durkin said while introducing the film at the Texas Theatre, an old-fashioned repertory cinema whose marquee announced “Welcome To Von Erich Country.” Dallas proved an appropriate backdrop for The Iron Claw’s debut. Much of the crowd seemed familiar with the real-life Texas wrestlers at its center, applauding even louder for Kevin Von Erich  than for stars like White, Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simon. The since-demolished arena where Kevin and his siblings used to compete was only three miles away.

Despite his long-standing affinity for wrestling, this is Durkin’s least Durkin-y project yet — on paper, at least. You’re not alone if you’ve wondered how a guy known for brooding psychodramas about a cult (Martha Marcy May Marlene), a decaying marriage (The Nest), and scheming twin gynecologists (Dead Ringers) come to direct a rousing sports saga. But The Iron Claw. out December 22, has its share of Durkin signatures. Despite their championship renown in the ’80s, the Von Erich clan were marred by death and misfortune. Successive health catastrophes, injuries, and suicides sprung from the so-called Von Erich curse, a theory widespread enough to earn its own 30 for 30 episode called “Wrestling the Curse.” That leads The Iron Claw in dark directions as its 132-minute running time leaps along. The feats of strength recede so the human tension can take over.

Kevin, played with gusto by Efron, is the only Von Erich son living today, hence the affectionate response he received Wednesday. Four of his brothers — one of whom is eliminated from the film for streamlining purposes, according to Entertainment Weekly — died between 1984 and 1993, and the other died in a freak accident at age 6. Some of the blame for the boys’ turmoil belongs to their father. As depicted, Fritz Von Erich (Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany) is a case study in aggressive parenting. He, too, was a National Wrestling Alliance champion, but because Fritz never won the world title, he’s determined for his progeny to prevail where he didn’t. So he’s created an army of buff workhorses who share as much love for one another as they do competitive resentment.

As the film ended, teary sniffles were audible throughout the room. The Iron Claw sends audiences out with a hint of uplift — not enough to dip into corny sports-drama territory, but enough to restore the movie’s crowd-pleasing impulses. Durkin’s script is often quite funny, as is the recurring sight of Efron, White, and Dickinson wearing colorful briefs and era-epitomizing wigs. It helps, too, that the story’s key women, portrayed by Maura Tierney and Lily James, aren’t just one-dimensional wives. When Kevin and the cast briefly returned to the stage as the end credits rolled, they got an enthusiastic standing ovation.