The Iron Claw (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, rated R, 132 minutes, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, $24.99) — Writer and director Sean Durkin’s biographical drama from late 2023 that explored the triumph and tragedy of a professional wrestling dynasty debuts in the Blu-ray format.
Specifically, viewers are exposed to mostly the plight of Texan Fritz Von Erich and his adult sons as they hone their craft and ultimately succeed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation with an unbelievable level of tragedy in tow.
The lives of Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson) and eventually Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and least prepared Mike (Stanley Simons) come to light as they pummel opponents in local and national events.
The senior Van Erich (Holt McCallany), who happened to own World Class Championship Wrestling, filled his household with toxic levels of machismo where he openly ranked his sons as favorites, always pushing the boys to extremes and where failure was never an option.
Throughout, they built on father Fritz’s legacy and delighted fans using the signature move of the clan, the Iron Claw, which involved placing a hand over the top of a wrestler’s brow and skull and crushing until the opponent submitted.
Mr. Durkin’s chronicle eventually descends into an unrecoverable body slam as the Von Erich boys crumble, still controlled by a domineering father, and unable to rally for life as a string of terrible events cripple the dynasty.
The lives of Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson) and eventually Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and least prepared Mike (Stanley Simons) come to light as they pummel opponents in local and national events.
The senior Van Erich (Holt McCallany), who happened to own World Class Championship Wrestling, filled his household with toxic levels of machismo where he openly ranked his sons as favorites, always pushing the boys to extremes and where failure was never an option.
Throughout, they built on father Fritz’s legacy and delighted fans using the signature move of the clan, the Iron Claw, which involved placing a hand over the top of a wrestler’s brow and skull and crushing until the opponent submitted.
Mr. Durkin’s chronicle eventually descends into an unrecoverable body slam as the Von Erich boys crumble, still controlled by a domineering father, and unable to rally for life as a string of terrible events cripple the dynasty.
As “No Name City” grows around a mining area staked by the pair, a Mormon named Jacob Woodling with his two wives show up and in need of money. Ben in a drunken stupor offers the winning bid on Woodling’s Elizabeth (Jean Seberg) and marries the woman.
That leaves about another two hours of song and no dance left to resolve how Rumson keeps the other guys away from his wife especially his Pardner who is developing deep feelings for her.
No real politically incorrect spoiler here, Sylvester convinces the town leaders to bring a brothel’s worth of French prostitutes to the locale to satisfy their needs and turns the town into a vice-filled mecca, until the gold runs out and then all chaos breaks loose as “No Name City” collapses in one of the strangest endings I have seen.
And, of course, Ben and Sylvester decide to share Elizabeth, see how easy that was?
The film’s musical highlight is a rousing version of the familiar tune “They Call the Wind Maria,” but for those that can stay awake through the bloated plot, the moments that will make jaws drop are the two stars actual singing.
Reference Mr. Eastwood’s brutal rendition of “I Talk to the Trees” and Marvin’s participation in the forgettable “Hand Me Down That Can o’ Beans” for an ear-splitting experience.
Fans of cinema scores will also appreciate the work of Batman’s favorite conductor Nelson Riddle orchestrating the musical proceedings.
The ultra-high definition restoration of the Technicolor source delivered from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative shines often.
I’ll reference when chronicling the miners in the vivid green, forested outdoors panning for gold in a bright blue stream in the forested mining town and the film even looks well-lit and color-balanced as Ben and Pardner navigate the pouring rain.
However, I did notice some moments of blurriness on some scenes with no artistic reason for the shift.
Best extras: Viewers only get a new optional commentary track with the team of Marvin biographer Dwayne Epstein, film historian Henry Parke and screenwriter/author C. Courtney Joyner.
They gush often about original screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky and offer plenty of anecdotes on Marvin including his passing on “The Wild Bunch” for “Paint Your Wagon,” urinating in the director’s shoes and his excessive drinking on the set.
Most impressive is the trio actually talk nonstop, all of the 165 minutes, even if they go off on tangents such as covering the relationship between James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, mentioning a surly encounter with Quentin Tarantino and the various emotional states of Burt Lancaster on movies sets.