The Iron Claw Movie (1 Viewer)

[Kiddnets]

I know there was a post in the wrestling thread about this move - Bogart had a great review that addressed a lot of my take - but I saw it yesterday and thought it deserved its own thread. As a big wrestling fan in the 80s/90s I was looking forward to this movie. It exceeded my expectations - my 22 yr old son has never watched wrestling went with me and really liked it as well.

Looking for some thoughts from those who saw it - My son couldnt believe it was based on a true story - and when I told him some the things they left out he was even more amazed. Think this transcends to more than just wrestling fans - like the Mickey Rourke movie this is excellent . Check it out.

 

[bigbottom]

It was really good, but super tragic. It was the first time I’ve seen my 21-year-old son cry in a movie and it was because of Zac Efron’s line at the end, which hit very close to home.

 

[General Malaise]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

 

[Bogart]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

Jack Jr., the youngest that was electrocuted/drowned is mentioned briefly by Kevin in a scene with his future wife and plays a part in one of the two scenes that got me choked up, but they don't go into huge detail. And yeah, they leave Chris Von Erich out of it completely. The director said on a podcast that it was from merely a time constraint mixed with a "how much tragedy can we pack into a single movie before it get ridiculous" thought process. They combine some of the Mike and Chris facts together regarding Mike's passing in order to guess give a nod to Chris I guess. Chris does make the final line of the end credits.

 

[General Malaise]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

Jack Jr., the youngest that was electrocuted/drowned is mentioned briefly by Kevin in a scene with his future wife and plays a part in one of the two scenes that got me choked up, but they don't go into huge detail. And yeah, they leave Chris Von Erich out of it completely. The director said on a podcast that it was from merely a time constraint mixed with a "how much tragedy can we pack into a single movie before it get ridiculous" thought process. They combine some of the Mike and Chris facts together regarding Mike's passing in order to guess give a nod to Chris I guess. Chris does make the final line of the end credits.

Thanks for clarifying, GB. It would have been impossible to cover all the tragedies that befell this family. I was devastated when David died. It was hard for little me to process because big, strong athletes in their prime don't die....that's for old people!


I might just go watch this by myself.

 

[Kiddnets]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

Jack Jr., the youngest that was electrocuted/drowned is mentioned briefly by Kevin in a scene with his future wife and plays a part in one of the two scenes that got me choked up, but they don't go into huge detail. And yeah, they leave Chris Von Erich out of it completely. The director said on a podcast that it was from merely a time constraint mixed with a "how much tragedy can we pack into a single movie before it get ridiculous" thought process. They combine some of the Mike and Chris facts together regarding Mike's passing in order to guess give a nod to Chris I guess. Chris does make the final line of the end credits.

I dont get it - too much tragedy? Its what happened - I dont understand how they couldnt add it in. Mistake in my opinion.

Would be great if you could also post your review in here - I agreed with a lot of it - especially the only poor performance (Flair) and the back and forth on it wrestling is fake or not. I was a bit confused.

Regardless just an excellent film.

 

[Kiddnets]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

Jack Jr., the youngest that was electrocuted/drowned is mentioned briefly by Kevin in a scene with his future wife and plays a part in one of the two scenes that got me choked up, but they don't go into huge detail. And yeah, they leave Chris Von Erich out of it completely. The director said on a podcast that it was from merely a time constraint mixed with a "how much tragedy can we pack into a single movie before it get ridiculous" thought process. They combine some of the Mike and Chris facts together regarding Mike's passing in order to guess give a nod to Chris I guess. Chris does make the final line of the end credits.

Thanks for clarifying, GB. It would have been impossible to cover all the tragedies that befell this family. I was devastated when David died. It was hard for little me to process because big, strong athletes in their prime don't die....that's for old people!


I might just go watch this by myself.

Id go by yourself GM - It was cool having my son there but if you are an old school wrestling fan its a must see.

 

[Zow]

I know there was a post in the wrestling thread about this move - Bogart had a great review that addressed a lot of my take - but I saw it yesterday and thought it deserved its own thread. As a big wrestling fan in the 80s/90s I was looking forward to this movie. It exceeded my expectations - my 22 yr old son has never watched wrestling went with me and really liked it as well.

Looking for some thoughts from those who saw it - My son couldnt believe it was based on a true story - and when I told him some the things they left out he was even more amazed. Think this transcends to more than just wrestling fans - like the Mickey Rourke movie this is excellent . Check it out.

I haven't watched The Iron Claw yet but just wanted to comment that the movie referenced in the bold, The Wrestler, is a top 5 all time movie for me.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I know there was a post in the wrestling thread about this move - Bogart had a great review that addressed a lot of my take - but I saw it yesterday and thought it deserved its own thread. As a big wrestling fan in the 80s/90s I was looking forward to this movie. It exceeded my expectations - my 22 yr old son has never watched wrestling went with me and really liked it as well.

Looking for some thoughts from those who saw it - My son couldnt believe it was based on a true story - and when I told him some the things they left out he was even more amazed. Think this transcends to more than just wrestling fans - like the Mickey Rourke movie this is excellent . Check it out.

Did they show Kerry losing his lower leg and covering it up in boots towards the end of his wrestling career?

-I would like to see this movie, I've been waiting to see almost everything thru streaming.
I used to always look for Sat box office receipts and then again on Monday Mornings, kinda shocking how light the box #s are for new films.

-Some of my earliest memories of wrestling were not Hulk Hogan and the WWF, the Von Erichs and their wrestling wars with a variety of different turn heels but I really enjoyed when they wrestled the Fabulous Freebirds and Michael Hayes with his over the top performances, most of them wrestled Ric Flair at least a couple times, these were typically long matches, longer than most we see today and required a lot of endurance.

There is a very dark side of course and horrible tragedies that happen within this family, hope the movie is true to the fans that want to watch.

 

[Bogart]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

Jack Jr., the youngest that was electrocuted/drowned is mentioned briefly by Kevin in a scene with his future wife and plays a part in one of the two scenes that got me choked up, but they don't go into huge detail. And yeah, they leave Chris Von Erich out of it completely. The director said on a podcast that it was from merely a time constraint mixed with a "how much tragedy can we pack into a single movie before it get ridiculous" thought process. They combine some of the Mike and Chris facts together regarding Mike's passing in order to guess give a nod to Chris I guess. Chris does make the final line of the end credits.

I dont get it - too much tragedy? Its what happened - I dont understand how they couldnt add it in. Mistake in my opinion.

Would be great if you could also post your review in here - I agreed with a lot of it - especially the only poor performance (Flair) and the back and forth on it wrestling is fake or not. I was a bit confused.

Regardless just an excellent film.

Per request, cut and paste from our Rasslin' thread:

Saw The Iron Claw on Friday afternoon. Without spoiling anything (can you spoil it?), I think it is easily the best wrestling movie of all time (although that bar is low). Some random thoughts:

• Zac Efron is going to get some award consideration for his role as Kevin Von Erich. Not only did he do the physical transformation that voters love, but it's by far his best acting work ever.
• The movie absolutely NAILED the look, feel and vibe of late 70s/early 80s wrestling in Texas. I could list tons of visual Easter eggs, but the one that made me smile the most was David Von Erich's ridiculous outfit of football jersey, suit coat and cowboy hat. It's how I most remember him looking as a kid when cutting promos.
• With all the deserved flowers to Efron, the entire cast was pretty amazing. I've seen some reviews that attack Jeremy Allen White as Kerry, but he did nail the character. Kerry wasn't smart and made bad choices, and it's portraited that way. There are about 15 seconds in the film where you wish White was taller, but it's the most minor of nitpicks. All of the other wrestlers looked amazing (you will see MJF for about 4 seconds, the Freebirds are amazing), with the exception of Ric Flair. Something was just off, but will give the movie a pass since the Flair we all know now is a character of the character of the character. (And where it falters, it could have been solved with archive footage, but choices were made)
• The characters of Fritz and Doris Von Erich are complicated characters in real life, and they are complicated characters in the movie.
• My biggest complaints, against not trying to spoil, is they completely mess up the timeline on Kerry's foot injury, and there is a big part of the story that is completely left out. But again, I get they only have so much time to fill.
• Also the movie struggles with Kayfabe, the boys are dejected in the locker room after losses, Fritz spends too much time talking about "earning your shot", but then show matches being planned out before hand and Flair yucking it up with the boys after a match. Would have been better if they pull back the curtain on this a little more and focus on the business side more.

I'll post some other thoughts once more people have seen it, but I will say if you are a wrestling fan, I think you owe yourself to go see this movie.

David Shoemaker made a comment that visually, Efron would have made a better Kerry and JAW would have made a better Kevin, but this looked to be a Efron vehicle from the very beginning according to the director, and JAW was cast before The Bear exploded.

I was disappointed there were no scenes in Japan, either from David's death or Kerry losing to Flair. Also disappointed no Chris Adams or Iceman King Parsons, but I get it. You cast who you can cast. Also, could have used another montage of just how over these guys were (Pizza Inn commercial anyone?)

 

[Bogart]

I know there was a post in the wrestling thread about this move - Bogart had a great review that addressed a lot of my take - but I saw it yesterday and thought it deserved its own thread. As a big wrestling fan in the 80s/90s I was looking forward to this movie. It exceeded my expectations - my 22 yr old son has never watched wrestling went with me and really liked it as well.

Looking for some thoughts from those who saw it - My son couldnt believe it was based on a true story - and when I told him some the things they left out he was even more amazed. Think this transcends to more than just wrestling fans - like the Mickey Rourke movie this is excellent . Check it out.

Did they show Kerry losing his lower leg and covering it up in boots towards the end of his wrestling career?

-I would like to see this movie, I've been waiting to see almost everything thru streaming.
I used to always look for Sat box office receipts and then again on Monday Mornings, kinda shocking how light the box #s are for new films.

-Some of my earliest memories of wrestling were not Hulk Hogan and the WWF, the Von Erichs and their wrestling wars with a variety of different turn heels but I really enjoyed when they wrestled the Fabulous Freebirds and Michael Hayes with his over the top performances, most of them wrestled Ric Flair at least a couple times, these were typically long matches, monger than most we see today and required a lot of endurance.

There is a very dark side of course and horrible tragedies that happen within this family, hope the movie is true to the fans that want to watch.

They did make the injury a part of the movie, but they were way off on the timeline. The movie made it look like he lost it right after beating Flair, and not 2-3 years later. Again was an odd choice, but made due to time constraints. This really could have been a six to eight part TV series.

 

[dickey moe]

The trailer looked great. Want to see this one.

 

[Zow]

No good wrestling movies??

The Wrestler, Vision Quest, and Foxcatcher are amazing movies.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

Jack Jr., the youngest that was electrocuted/drowned is mentioned briefly by Kevin in a scene with his future wife and plays a part in one of the two scenes that got me choked up, but they don't go into huge detail. And yeah, they leave Chris Von Erich out of it completely. The director said on a podcast that it was from merely a time constraint mixed with a "how much tragedy can we pack into a single movie before it get ridiculous" thought process. They combine some of the Mike and Chris facts together regarding Mike's passing in order to guess give a nod to Chris I guess. Chris does make the final line of the end credits.

I dont get it - too much tragedy? Its what happened - I dont understand how they couldnt add it in. Mistake in my opinion.

Would be great if you could also post your review in here - I agreed with a lot of it - especially the only poor performance (Flair) and the back and forth on it wrestling is fake or not. I was a bit confused.

Regardless just an excellent film.

Per request, cut and paste from our Rasslin' thread:

Saw The Iron Claw on Friday afternoon. Without spoiling anything (can you spoil it?), I think it is easily the best wrestling movie of all time (although that bar is low). Some random thoughts:

• Zac Efron is going to get some award consideration for his role as Kevin Von Erich. Not only did he do the physical transformation that voters love, but it's by far his best acting work ever.
• The movie absolutely NAILED the look, feel and vibe of late 70s/early 80s wrestling in Texas. I could list tons of visual Easter eggs, but the one that made me smile the most was David Von Erich's ridiculous outfit of football jersey, suit coat and cowboy hat. It's how I most remember him looking as a kid when cutting promos.
• With all the deserved flowers to Efron, the entire cast was pretty amazing. I've seen some reviews that attack Jeremy Allen White as Kerry, but he did nail the character. Kerry wasn't smart and made bad choices, and it's portraited that way. There are about 15 seconds in the film where you wish White was taller, but it's the most minor of nitpicks. All of the other wrestlers looked amazing (you will see MJF for about 4 seconds, the Freebirds are amazing), with the exception of Ric Flair. Something was just off, but will give the movie a pass since the Flair we all know now is a character of the character of the character. (And where it falters, it could have been solved with archive footage, but choices were made)
• The characters of Fritz and Doris Von Erich are complicated characters in real life, and they are complicated characters in the movie.
• My biggest complaints, against not trying to spoil, is they completely mess up the timeline on Kerry's foot injury, and there is a big part of the story that is completely left out. But again, I get they only have so much time to fill.
• Also the movie struggles with Kayfabe, the boys are dejected in the locker room after losses, Fritz spends too much time talking about "earning your shot", but then show matches being planned out before hand and Flair yucking it up with the boys after a match. Would have been better if they pull back the curtain on this a little more and focus on the business side more.

I'll post some other thoughts once more people have seen it, but I will say if you are a wrestling fan, I think you owe yourself to go see this movie.

David Shoemaker made a comment that visually, Efron would have made a better Kerry and JAW would have made a better Kevin, but this looked to be a Efron vehicle from the very beginning according to the director, and JAW was cast before The Bear exploded.

I was disappointed there were no scenes in Japan, either from David's death or Kerry losing to Flair. Also disappointed no Chris Adams or Iceman King Parsons, but I get it. You cast who you can cast. Also, could have used another montage of just how over these guys were (Pizza Inn commercial anyone?)

Came right up, had to link it for you.

Mike Kevin and Kerry Von Erich Pizza Inn Commercial

www.youtube.com

 

[Bogart]

No good wrestling movies??

The Wrestler, Vision Quest, and Foxcatcher are amazing movies.

Should say PRO wrestling movies. And The Wrestler is about the only one that's worth a watch.

 

[Kiddnets]

I know there was a post in the wrestling thread about this move - Bogart had a great review that addressed a lot of my take - but I saw it yesterday and thought it deserved its own thread. As a big wrestling fan in the 80s/90s I was looking forward to this movie. It exceeded my expectations - my 22 yr old son has never watched wrestling went with me and really liked it as well.

Looking for some thoughts from those who saw it - My son couldnt believe it was based on a true story - and when I told him some the things they left out he was even more amazed. Think this transcends to more than just wrestling fans - like the Mickey Rourke movie this is excellent . Check it out.

Did they show Kerry losing his lower leg and covering it up in boots towards the end of his wrestling career?

-I would like to see this movie, I've been waiting to see almost everything thru streaming.
I used to always look for Sat box office receipts and then again on Monday Mornings, kinda shocking how light the box #s are for new films.

-Some of my earliest memories of wrestling were not Hulk Hogan and the WWF, the Von Erichs and their wrestling wars with a variety of different turn heels but I really enjoyed when they wrestled the Fabulous Freebirds and Michael Hayes with his over the top performances, most of them wrestled Ric Flair at least a couple times, these were typically long matches, monger than most we see today and required a lot of endurance.

There is a very dark side of course and horrible tragedies that happen within this family, hope the movie is true to the fans that want to watch.

Id say most is covered except some of the items listed here. I understand most but dont agree with glossing over another son.

Im not a big fan today but when I was a kid in the 80s I loved wrestling. I subscribed to a few mags and tried to explain to my son how excited I would get when I received them each month. He grew up in an internet world and couldnt fathom having to wait to get a magazine lol. I loved WWF but also enjoyed following AWA, NWA and world class. The Von Erichs were huge and those feuds back in the day were very entertaining. Brought back a ton of great memories.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Ric Flair vs. Kerry Von Erich. WCCW, May 1984.

At the historic first annual Von Erich Parade of Champions at Texas Stadium, Ric Flair defended his World Heavyweight Championship Title against Kerry Von Er...

www.youtube.com

Kerry vs Flair
Dallas '84, largest crowd to watch a wrestling match ever at that point.

 

[Kiddnets]

Bogart's review is dead on - thx for reposting -

one of the things I found confusing was addressing if it was scripted or not. They kind of go back and forth which I found strange as well. I get that the athletic moves are real but they acted like they really won or lost.

 

[Bogart]

Ric Flair vs. Kerry Von Erich. WCCW, May 1984.

At the historic first annual Von Erich Parade of Champions at Texas Stadium, Ric Flair defended his World Heavyweight Championship Title against Kerry Von Er...

www.youtube.com

Kerry vs Flair
Dallas '84, largest crowd to watch a wrestling match ever at that point.

This match will always be my favorite and first "big match" I remember.

Flair talked about this match with Conrad Thompson. Made a good point that the match was at 3pm and it almost 100 degrees (Flair said 107 at the ring). They were pulling people out of the crowd due to dehydration. If the event was held later in the evening, they would have most likely sold out. The implication was they had to have the event earlier due to getting Kerry at his clearest headspace.

 

[bigbottom]

Bogart's review is dead on - thx for reposting -

one of the things I found confusing was addressing if it was scripted or not. They kind of go back and forth which I found strange as well. I get that the athletic moves are real but they acted like they really won or lost.

Maybe I missed some of the nuance, but the message I got was that you had to sell the performance, both in the ring and on the mic. And the better performer you are, the more you get to win, which opens up better opportunities. So losing is a reflection on your performance history.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

My first exposure to REALLY drunk and belligerent people. And cutting! Went to see Harley Race vs Ric Flair at the Checkerdome in St. Louis. Very bloody iirc. And very disappointing for 7(-ish. I think?) year old me. They wrestled for 60 minutes and nobody won. Probably why I still don't like soccer.

I did get to see the Von Erichs iirc. Sometimes I think I'm blending my memory of going to this match with about 500 episodes of Wrestling At the Chase I watched as a kid.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

Jack Jr., the youngest that was electrocuted/drowned is mentioned briefly by Kevin in a scene with his future wife and plays a part in one of the two scenes that got me choked up, but they don't go into huge detail. And yeah, they leave Chris Von Erich out of it completely. The director said on a podcast that it was from merely a time constraint mixed with a "how much tragedy can we pack into a single movie before it get ridiculous" thought process. They combine some of the Mike and Chris facts together regarding Mike's passing in order to guess give a nod to Chris I guess. Chris does make the final line of the end credits.

I dont get it - too much tragedy? Its what happened - I dont understand how they couldnt add it in. Mistake in my opinion.

Would be great if you could also post your review in here - I agreed with a lot of it - especially the only poor performance (Flair) and the back and forth on it wrestling is fake or not. I was a bit confused.

Regardless just an excellent film.

Per request, cut and paste from our Rasslin' thread:

Saw The Iron Claw on Friday afternoon. Without spoiling anything (can you spoil it?), I think it is easily the best wrestling movie of all time (although that bar is low). Some random thoughts:

• Zac Efron is going to get some award consideration for his role as Kevin Von Erich. Not only did he do the physical transformation that voters love, but it's by far his best acting work ever.
• The movie absolutely NAILED the look, feel and vibe of late 70s/early 80s wrestling in Texas. I could list tons of visual Easter eggs, but the one that made me smile the most was David Von Erich's ridiculous outfit of football jersey, suit coat and cowboy hat. It's how I most remember him looking as a kid when cutting promos.
• With all the deserved flowers to Efron, the entire cast was pretty amazing. I've seen some reviews that attack Jeremy Allen White as Kerry, but he did nail the character. Kerry wasn't smart and made bad choices, and it's portraited that way. There are about 15 seconds in the film where you wish White was taller, but it's the most minor of nitpicks. All of the other wrestlers looked amazing (you will see MJF for about 4 seconds, the Freebirds are amazing), with the exception of Ric Flair. Something was just off, but will give the movie a pass since the Flair we all know now is a character of the character of the character. (And where it falters, it could have been solved with archive footage, but choices were made)
• The characters of Fritz and Doris Von Erich are complicated characters in real life, and they are complicated characters in the movie.
• My biggest complaints, against not trying to spoil, is they completely mess up the timeline on Kerry's foot injury, and there is a big part of the story that is completely left out. But again, I get they only have so much time to fill.
• Also the movie struggles with Kayfabe, the boys are dejected in the locker room after losses, Fritz spends too much time talking about "earning your shot", but then show matches being planned out before hand and Flair yucking it up with the boys after a match. Would have been better if they pull back the curtain on this a little more and focus on the business side more.

I'll post some other thoughts once more people have seen it, but I will say if you are a wrestling fan, I think you owe yourself to go see this movie.

David Shoemaker made a comment that visually, Efron would have made a better Kerry and JAW would have made a better Kevin, but this looked to be a Efron vehicle from the very beginning according to the director, and JAW was cast before The Bear exploded.

I was disappointed there were no scenes in Japan, either from David's death or Kerry losing to Flair. Also disappointed no Chris Adams or Iceman King Parsons, but I get it. You cast who you can cast. Also, could have used another montage of just how over these guys were (Pizza Inn commercial anyone?)

+ the Freebirds. These things I remember well.

 

[Bogart]

I want to watch it but will wait until it streams. Nobody will go with me to the theater for this one.

Von Erichs were a big part of my childhood growing up in Dallas. I was a huge wrestling fan until my dad made me read an article in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who took a stuntman to a wrestling match and he went through all the ways it was fake. Still miffed at him for that but it was probably good for me. I was getting a little obsessed.

My best friend watched it and told me it fails to mention two of the other sons who died. The oldest Von Erich boy got electrocuted and drowned in a puddle. Ugh. Then I guess the movie doesn't even mention Chris?

Still, I can't wait to watch it. I'd watch Jeremy Allen White in just about anything.

Jack Jr., the youngest that was electrocuted/drowned is mentioned briefly by Kevin in a scene with his future wife and plays a part in one of the two scenes that got me choked up, but they don't go into huge detail. And yeah, they leave Chris Von Erich out of it completely. The director said on a podcast that it was from merely a time constraint mixed with a "how much tragedy can we pack into a single movie before it get ridiculous" thought process. They combine some of the Mike and Chris facts together regarding Mike's passing in order to guess give a nod to Chris I guess. Chris does make the final line of the end credits.

I dont get it - too much tragedy? Its what happened - I dont understand how they couldnt add it in. Mistake in my opinion.

Would be great if you could also post your review in here - I agreed with a lot of it - especially the only poor performance (Flair) and the back and forth on it wrestling is fake or not. I was a bit confused.

Regardless just an excellent film.

Per request, cut and paste from our Rasslin' thread:

Saw The Iron Claw on Friday afternoon. Without spoiling anything (can you spoil it?), I think it is easily the best wrestling movie of all time (although that bar is low). Some random thoughts:

• Zac Efron is going to get some award consideration for his role as Kevin Von Erich. Not only did he do the physical transformation that voters love, but it's by far his best acting work ever.
• The movie absolutely NAILED the look, feel and vibe of late 70s/early 80s wrestling in Texas. I could list tons of visual Easter eggs, but the one that made me smile the most was David Von Erich's ridiculous outfit of football jersey, suit coat and cowboy hat. It's how I most remember him looking as a kid when cutting promos.
• With all the deserved flowers to Efron, the entire cast was pretty amazing. I've seen some reviews that attack Jeremy Allen White as Kerry, but he did nail the character. Kerry wasn't smart and made bad choices, and it's portraited that way. There are about 15 seconds in the film where you wish White was taller, but it's the most minor of nitpicks. All of the other wrestlers looked amazing (you will see MJF for about 4 seconds, the Freebirds are amazing), with the exception of Ric Flair. Something was just off, but will give the movie a pass since the Flair we all know now is a character of the character of the character. (And where it falters, it could have been solved with archive footage, but choices were made)
• The characters of Fritz and Doris Von Erich are complicated characters in real life, and they are complicated characters in the movie.
• My biggest complaints, against not trying to spoil, is they completely mess up the timeline on Kerry's foot injury, and there is a big part of the story that is completely left out. But again, I get they only have so much time to fill.
• Also the movie struggles with Kayfabe, the boys are dejected in the locker room after losses, Fritz spends too much time talking about "earning your shot", but then show matches being planned out before hand and Flair yucking it up with the boys after a match. Would have been better if they pull back the curtain on this a little more and focus on the business side more.

I'll post some other thoughts once more people have seen it, but I will say if you are a wrestling fan, I think you owe yourself to go see this movie.

David Shoemaker made a comment that visually, Efron would have made a better Kerry and JAW would have made a better Kevin, but this looked to be a Efron vehicle from the very beginning according to the director, and JAW was cast before The Bear exploded.

I was disappointed there were no scenes in Japan, either from David's death or Kerry losing to Flair. Also disappointed no Chris Adams or Iceman King Parsons, but I get it. You cast who you can cast. Also, could have used another montage of just how over these guys were (Pizza Inn commercial anyone?)

+ the Freebirds. These things I remember well.

The Freebirds were in it. Not enough, but they were in it. The major set piece at the Sportatorium.

 

[Bogart]

Also, apologies for commenting too much in this thread. Everyone has their TED Talk subject that they could go for 15 minutes without notes or practicing. The Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling from late 1983 to early 1988 is mine.

 

[Zow]

Also, apologies for commenting too much in this thread. Everyone has their TED Talk subject that they could go for 15 minutes without notes or practicing. The Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling from late 1983 to early 1988 is mine.

Is this the same as WCW?

 

[General Malaise]

Just hope Kamala the Ugandia Giant and Missing Link from parts unknown got a mention. Brusier Brody, King Kong Bundy, Great Kabuki, Ice Man.....those guys were every bit as important to me as the Dallas Cowboys.

Should make my dad go see this with me as payback for ruining my childhood fantasies.

 

[bigbottom]

Just hope Kamala the Ugandia Giant and Missing Link from parts unknown got a mention. Brusier Brody, King Kong Bundy, Great Kabuki, Ice Man.....those guys were every bit as important to me as the Dallas Cowboys.

Should make my dad go see this with me as payback for ruining my childhood fantasies.

This isn’t my area of expertise, so I easily could have missed it, but I don’t remember those being mentioned. Going into this, people should understand that it’s not a fun wrestling retrospective so much as it is a movie about family trauma and tragedy.

 

[Kiddnets]

Also, apologies for commenting too much in this thread. Everyone has their TED Talk subject that they could go for 15 minutes without notes or practicing. The Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling from late 1983 to early 1988 is mine.

80s in general were my favorite - WWF was moving towards for a cartoon/entertainment which I enjoyed but I also really liked the other leagues as well for the more technical matches

 

[Kiddnets]

Just hope Kamala the Ugandia Giant and Missing Link from parts unknown got a mention. Brusier Brody, King Kong Bundy, Great Kabuki, Ice Man.....those guys were every bit as important to me as the Dallas Cowboys.

Should make my dad go see this with me as payback for ruining my childhood fantasies.

This isn’t my area of expertise, so I easily could have missed it, but I don’t remember those being mentioned. Going into this, people should understand that it’s not a fun wrestling retrospective so much as it is a movie about family trauma and tragedy.

Loved those guys - met Bundy before a match and he downed an entire pizza in 2 minutes before he was up. The ones you noted were not mentioned - as BB states its more of a family tragedy set in a sport rather than focusing on the wrestling.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

It was really good, but super tragic. It was the first time I’ve seen my 21-year-old son cry in a movie and it was because of Zac Efron’s line at the end, which hit very close to home.

I bawled at that line when the real-life Kevin said it in a documentary show on the family.

It probably says something about how 80s wrestling obsessed I was that his will probably get me out to a theater when even a supposed late-career Scorsese masterpiece didn't.

I'm sure I'll appreciate the movie so long as I don't let myself be that ****ing guy, but I will say that while it doesn't matter in the long run, it is hard for anyone who saw Kerry Von Erich to accept a 5'7" 175 lb Jeremy Allen White in the role. And I know he got in good shape and put on muscle. But he looks smaller than Efron and Kerry made Kevin look skinny. Also, from one clip I've seen, the guy they got to play Ric Flair's Nature Boy impression is worse than that one guy in your friend group who does a Flair impression.

 

[coopersdad]

I know there was a post in the wrestling thread about this move - Bogart had a great review that addressed a lot of my take - but I saw it yesterday and thought it deserved its own thread. As a big wrestling fan in the 80s/90s I was looking forward to this movie. It exceeded my expectations - my 22 yr old son has never watched wrestling went with me and really liked it as well.

Looking for some thoughts from those who saw it - My son couldnt believe it was based on a true story - and when I told him some the things they left out he was even more amazed. Think this transcends to more than just wrestling fans - like the Mickey Rourke movie this is excellent . Check it out.

Did they show Kerry losing his lower leg and covering it up in boots towards the end of his wrestling career?

-I would like to see this movie, I've been waiting to see almost everything thru streaming.
I used to always look for Sat box office receipts and then again on Monday Mornings, kinda shocking how light the box #s are for new films.

-Some of my earliest memories of wrestling were not Hulk Hogan and the WWF, the Von Erichs and their wrestling wars with a variety of different turn heels but I really enjoyed when they wrestled the Fabulous Freebirds and Michael Hayes with his over the top performances, most of them wrestled Ric Flair at least a couple times, these were typically long matches, monger than most we see today and required a lot of endurance.

There is a very dark side of course and horrible tragedies that happen within this family, hope the movie is true to the fans that want to watch.

I was never a big wrestling fan, but my grandmother was back in the 1970's and early 80's.

She and my grandfather would come down from Iowa and winter w/ us for a couple of months in Fort Worth. She loved going the the FW Coliseum to see the Von Erichs "wrastle" against Kabuki, Bruiser Brody, Freebirds, Gary Hart, etc.

She loved when the shows were in the auditorium and we could sit up on the stage and be really close.

We always used to bring homemade snacks. One time she took tin foil that was wrapped around my hot dog and threw it at Brody, he walked back, grabbed my hot dog and ate it.

it's funny how we always thought how "shredded" they were. Now my 20 YO college baseball playing son is built better than kevin. Times have changed.

 

[UncleZen]

Also, apologies for commenting too much in this thread. Everyone has their TED Talk subject that they could go for 15 minutes without notes or practicing. The Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling from late 1983 to early 1988 is mine.

Is this the same as WCW?

World Class Championship Wrestling is not the same as WCW. World Class was based out of TX and was considered a territory. WCW was more of a combined effort from several territories to compete with WWF.

 

[The General]

I’m in the wrestling is really odd camp but def want to see this movie. Pretty nice career Efron is carving out.

 

[General Malaise]

Just hope Kamala the Ugandia Giant and Missing Link from parts unknown got a mention. Brusier Brody, King Kong Bundy, Great Kabuki, Ice Man.....those guys were every bit as important to me as the Dallas Cowboys.

Should make my dad go see this with me as payback for ruining my childhood fantasies.

This isn’t my area of expertise, so I easily could have missed it, but I don’t remember those being mentioned. Going into this, people should understand that it’s not a fun wrestling retrospective so much as it is a movie about family trauma and tragedy.

No, I know. I was going to take the twins and my bestie was all "no no no no....not for 8 year olds".

 

[General Malaise]

I’m in the wrestling is really odd camp but def want to see this movie. Pretty nice career Efron is carving out.

I don't ever seen anything he's done so now I really am intrigued to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[General Malaise]

I’m in the wrestling is really odd camp but def want to see this movie. Pretty nice career Efron is carving out.

I don't ever seen anything he's done so now I really am intrigued to see what all the fuss is about.

I take that back. I tried to watch "Neighbors" but didn't make it long.

 

[The General]

I’m in the wrestling is really odd camp but def want to see this movie. Pretty nice career Efron is carving out.

I don't ever seen anything he's done so now I really am intrigued to see what all the fuss is about.

I take that back. I tried to watch "Neighbors" but didn't make it long.

I gotta admit that movie and the sequel which I just watched on a plane over Xmas break both had me laughing in parts.

 

[bigbottom]

I’m in the wrestling is really odd camp but def want to see this movie. Pretty nice career Efron is carving out.

I don't ever seen anything he's done so now I really am intrigued to see what all the fuss is about.

I take that back. I tried to watch "Neighbors" but didn't make it long.

I gotta admit that movie and the sequel which I just watched on a plane over Xmas break both had me laughing in parts.

I have to say that Zac went from “that guy is so good looking he might turn me gay” in neighbors, to “man, that dude is really hard to look at” in The Iron Claw. I hope that Zac can reverse some of what he did to transform for the role and doesn’t end up looking like a Mickey Rourke for the rest of his career.

 

[The General]

I’m in the wrestling is really odd camp but def want to see this movie. Pretty nice career Efron is carving out.

I don't ever seen anything he's done so now I really am intrigued to see what all the fuss is about.

I take that back. I tried to watch "Neighbors" but didn't make it long.

I gotta admit that movie and the sequel which I just watched on a plane over Xmas break both had me laughing in parts.

I have to say that Zac went from “that guy is so good looking he might turn me gay” in neighbors, to “man, that dude is really hard to look at” in The Iron Claw. I hope that Zac can reverse some of what he did to transform for the role and doesn’t end up looking like a Mickey Rourke for the rest of his career.

Definitely looks all roided up. I saw a thing were he said he broke his jaw and it made him chew differently so it changed the shape of his head…

 

[Zow]

I’m in the wrestling is really odd camp but def want to see this movie. Pretty nice career Efron is carving out.

I don't ever seen anything he's done so now I really am intrigued to see what all the fuss is about.

I take that back. I tried to watch "Neighbors" but didn't make it long.

I gotta admit that movie and the sequel which I just watched on a plane over Xmas break both had me laughing in parts.

I liked the original for a stupid, mindless comedy. Didn't know they made a sequel.

 

[The General]

I’m in the wrestling is really odd camp but def want to see this movie. Pretty nice career Efron is carving out.

I don't ever seen anything he's done so now I really am intrigued to see what all the fuss is about.

I take that back. I tried to watch "Neighbors" but didn't make it long.

I gotta admit that movie and the sequel which I just watched on a plane over Xmas break both had me laughing in parts.

I liked the original for a stupid, mindless comedy. Didn't know they made a sequel.

More of the same, probably not as good. I did laugh out loud a couple times though which isn’t bad.

 

[Bogart]

Just hope Kamala the Ugandia Giant and Missing Link from parts unknown got a mention. Brusier Brody, King Kong Bundy, Great Kabuki, Ice Man.....those guys were every bit as important to me as the Dallas Cowboys.

Should make my dad go see this with me as payback for ruining my childhood fantasies.

You had appearances from Flair and Harley Race. The first match for David (in the film) was a tag match against Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez (which I thought would have never been a tag team, but Cagematch proved me wrong). You have the Freebirds in a few scenes, but no speaking parts. You have Lance Von Erich for about 4 seconds. You have the original Sheik. That was about it.

 

[Kiddnets]

Just hope Kamala the Ugandia Giant and Missing Link from parts unknown got a mention. Brusier Brody, King Kong Bundy, Great Kabuki, Ice Man.....those guys were every bit as important to me as the Dallas Cowboys.

Should make my dad go see this with me as payback for ruining my childhood fantasies.

You had appearances from Flair and Harley Race. The first match for David (in the film) was a tag match against Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez (which I thought would have never been a tag team, but Cagematch proved me wrong). You have the Freebirds in a few scenes, but no speaking parts. You have Lance Von Erich for about 4 seconds. You have the original Sheik. That was about it.

My area in NJ only had access to WWF - so I followed mot of the other leagues through magazines. I was always shocked at how a mega star in AWA/NWA could come to WWF and be a jobber. Rick Martel was a huge star in AWA and was a joke in the WWF. Kerry was huge but they didnt even give him his name in the WWF - they acted like these guys never existed before. Vince had some ego!

 

[General Malaise]

Just hope Kamala the Ugandia Giant and Missing Link from parts unknown got a mention. Brusier Brody, King Kong Bundy, Great Kabuki, Ice Man.....those guys were every bit as important to me as the Dallas Cowboys.

Should make my dad go see this with me as payback for ruining my childhood fantasies.

You had appearances from Flair and Harley Race. The first match for David (in the film) was a tag match against Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez (which I thought would have never been a tag team, but Cagematch proved me wrong). You have the Freebirds in a few scenes, but no speaking parts. You have Lance Von Erich for about 4 seconds. You have the original Sheik. That was about it.

Gino Hernandez! He attended a Highland Park football game in the 80s - it MIGHT have been at Texas Stadium for a playoff game, but memories are fuzzy. What's not fuzzy is the memory of the woman sitting next to him. Even as a young lad, I could tell she was in a different class. Blonde, tan, flawless skin, just a gorgeous woman. Think he told us all to 'buzz off' at some point because we were geeking out over the whole thing. And, well, off I buzzed...

 

[massraider]

Efron got so roided up he looked more like Kerry than Kevin.


For whatever reason they used to show WCCW television in MA when I was a kid. I specifically remember the time I heard Kevin and his opponent discussing the upcoming sleeper hold while in a clinch. Like finding out Santa wasn't real.

 

[Kiddnets]

I know there was a post in the wrestling thread about this move - Bogart had a great review that addressed a lot of my take - but I saw it yesterday and thought it deserved its own thread. As a big wrestling fan in the 80s/90s I was looking forward to this movie. It exceeded my expectations - my 22 yr old son has never watched wrestling went with me and really liked it as well.

Looking for some thoughts from those who saw it - My son couldnt believe it was based on a true story - and when I told him some the things they left out he was even more amazed. Think this transcends to more than just wrestling fans - like the Mickey Rourke movie this is excellent . Check it out.

Did they show Kerry losing his lower leg and covering it up in boots towards the end of his wrestling career?

-I would like to see this movie, I've been waiting to see almost everything thru streaming.
I used to always look for Sat box office receipts and then again on Monday Mornings, kinda shocking how light the box #s are for new films.

-Some of my earliest memories of wrestling were not Hulk Hogan and the WWF, the Von Erichs and their wrestling wars with a variety of different turn heels but I really enjoyed when they wrestled the Fabulous Freebirds and Michael Hayes with his over the top performances, most of them wrestled Ric Flair at least a couple times, these were typically long matches, monger than most we see today and required a lot of endurance.

There is a very dark side of course and horrible tragedies that happen within this family, hope the movie is true to the fans that want to watch.

I was never a big wrestling fan, but my grandmother was back in the 1970's and early 80's.

She and my grandfather would come down from Iowa and winter w/ us for a couple of months in Fort Worth. She loved going the the FW Coliseum to see the Von Erichs "wrastle" against Kabuki, Bruiser Brody, Freebirds, Gary Hart, etc.

She loved when the shows were in the auditorium and we could sit up on the stage and be really close.

We always used to bring homemade snacks. One time she took tin foil that was wrapped around my hot dog and threw it at Brody, he walked back, grabbed my hot dog and ate it.

it's funny how we always thought how "shredded" they were. Now my 20 YO college baseball playing son is built better than kevin. Times have changed.

My Wife is from NC and when I used to go down there back in the day her grandfather would always be watching NWA and Flair. Good memories

 

[General Malaise]

Just hope Kamala the Ugandia Giant and Missing Link from parts unknown got a mention. Brusier Brody, King Kong Bundy, Great Kabuki, Ice Man.....those guys were every bit as important to me as the Dallas Cowboys.

Should make my dad go see this with me as payback for ruining my childhood fantasies.

You had appearances from Flair and Harley Race. The first match for David (in the film) was a tag match against Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez (which I thought would have never been a tag team, but Cagematch proved me wrong). You have the Freebirds in a few scenes, but no speaking parts. You have Lance Von Erich for about 4 seconds. You have the original Sheik. That was about it.

Gino Hernandez! He attended a Highland Park football game in the 80s - it MIGHT have been at Texas Stadium for a playoff game, but memories are fuzzy. What's not fuzzy is the memory of the woman sitting next to him. Even as a young lad, I could tell she was in a different class. Blonde, tan, flawless skin, just a gorgeous woman. Think he told us all to 'buzz off' at some point because we were geeking out over the whole thing. And, well, off I buzzed...

Oh geez, he dated Farrah Fawcett for a while! Man.....