The Iron Claw * * * ½

The Van Erich boys as played by very committed actors who clearly spent a year in the gym beforehand

The Iron Claw is the story of the Von Erich Family.  Apparently their name is legendary with people who are into TV Wrestling.  They are also known to be one of the most popular - and tragic- collection of boys to ever get involved in that sport.  

For those of us who are not into wrestling so much, we are left with a domestic drama so sad you would not wish it upon any family   Even amongst themselves it was known as "The Von Erich" curse. 

But wrestling was what the Von Erich family were all about and so director/writer Sean Durkin tells his story through their wrestling career.

It starts off with the old man as a show wrestler in the fifties.  He was famous for his novel grip known as "the iron claw", which means he grabs someone skull and crushes it with such power the other wrestler screams for mercy (yerrr...right), but you know.... TV Wrestling.  All good fun. It's a grip that each of the boys also perform as they come of age and adopt Dad's "profession".

The Von Erich family live happily together on a rural property in Texas.  We are introduced to the featured boys when they are already of age and have commenced their wrestling career.  The story mainly focuses on the eldest son Kevin. We learn that there was another son  before Kevin, but he died.  

Kevin is being primed up for the WW Belt, but he loses.  Neither Kevin or Dad are happy, neither is Kevin's brother David.  But David is good at grabbing the microphone and mouthing off . A skill that is highly regarded in TV Wrestling.

Soon David is promoted as to be the next one to take on the World Championship.  I don't want to spoil things for you here, but let's just say he doesn't make it, neither does the next son Kerry who was once a field  athlete aspiring for the Olympic Games, neither does the next one who would actually rather be a muso in a band.

Not only do they not make it, but all but one don't make many more years of living either.  As I say it's a pretty tragic story.  

For all that it's not gruelling to sit through. There is plenty of wrestling to keep you amused, but even as someone not much interested in the whacky sport of  TV Wrestling, the actual family dynamics are fascinating.  

It's a family full of love, especially between the brothers. Admirably so.  

Director Sean Durkin really knows how to do family dynamics and the high price of  ambition, as he showed us in his last film The Nest, which I personally thought was better than this.  Nevertheless The Iron Claw is a good film, a fine drama, and remarkably even has a somewhat happy ending.