A New American Classic? Why You Should See THE IRON CLAW

Why is The Iron Claw already being hailed as an American classic? What makes this A24 production stand out? There are at least a few reasons.

A Classic American Story

This is a narrative that takes on difficult and dangerous subjects, yet one in which—paradoxically—each of us can easily find ourselves. From the first descriptions of the film, as well as from what the trailer shows, it’s clear that The Iron Claw tells the story of a family with rather unusual passions. That’s all. Yet this is a portrait marked by pain, so it’s not necessarily a film that will make everyone smile. Lurking in the background is brotherly rivalry, while the classic, conservative figure of the father once again becomes a source of division within the family and the driving force behind the desire to live up to expectations.

The story is meant to show how difficult a goal that is—and how, in the pursuit of paternal approval, people can lose themselves, lose their ability to relate to others, and stop doing things simply for the joy of participating. It’s worth adding that the film is based on a true story. The spirit of America runs through this narrative, which strongly draws on the style of dramas made in the 1990s and earlier. From a narrative standpoint, it is already being compared—quite unusually—to The Deer Hunter, The Godfather, and other classic American family sagas, in which the father figure also played a crucial role. Unsurprisingly, The Iron Claw also promises the best emotional intensity of sports cinema.

It seems fair to look at the film as something like Rocky, only this time with more characters searching for their own path.

Extraordinary Filmmakers, Extraordinary Studio

Founded in 2012, A24 has developed in a truly remarkable way. Once associated exclusively with festival (Sundance), art-house, and independent cinema, today the studio also produces more commercial projects. One thing, however, remains unchanged—A24 is always close to human stories: those that engage deeply and focus on complex, difficult-to-unravel dramas.

In the case of The Iron Claw, Sean Durkin upholds this rule. His name may not mean much to the average viewer, but he is a remarkable filmmaker who consistently tackles problematic, weighty subjects. He made his mark with Martha Marcy May Marlene, featuring Elizabeth Olsen in a breakthrough role as a young woman trying to rebuild her life after escaping a dangerous cult. In the series Dead Ringers, about twin sisters with a morally questionable “mission,” Durkin also told the story from a female perspective. That’s why it is fascinating to see how he handles a male perspective in The Iron Claw.

Distinctive Actors, Meaty Roles

Helping Durkin tell this story is a cast of strikingly distinctive actors, and their performances promise to be nothing short of compelling.

To begin with: Zac Efron has been proving for years now that he’s not afraid of more demanding roles, and that the High School Musical label no longer applies to him. He has slowly become a specialist in physically transformative roles, often requiring significant muscle and physique. Playing his father, Holt McCallany is unforgettable from his role as a detective in Mindhunter—a series that reignited his career. After all, who still remembers that he once fought in the cult classic Fight Club? Harris Dickinson, meanwhile, is a rising star.

He already has an impressive résumé, including a performance in the Cannes-winning Triangle of Sadness. Still, the hottest name among The Iron Claw cast is Jeremy Allen White, currently enjoying a career-defining moment thanks to the popularity of the series The Bear, which earned him widespread acclaim. The film’s casting mix is truly explosive.

Wrestling

In today’s era of Fame MMA, it’s worth remembering where all this came from. Once upon a time, actors trained in wrestling, with imposing physiques, would put on fights—fake fights, to be sure—but they did so for the joy of audiences who fully understood the theatricality of it.

Today, by contrast, people with little fighting ability and no physical presence step into the ring to create the illusion of a fight, built on media-fueled, artificial rivalries. It’s still entertainment, but the craft has deteriorated. You might say: every era gets the wrestling it deserves.

As a child, I was fascinated by American wrestling, and it didn’t bother me in the least that it was staged. It was a form of spectacle designed—through physical preparation and good execution—to generate emotion and engagement. Some years ago, Darren Aronofsky demythologized professional wrestling in The Wrestler, showing the cracks in the souls of its performers. Mickey Rourke came within a hair of winning an Oscar for that role, but everyone agreed it was a spectacular comeback from near obscurity.

The Iron Claw likewise uses wrestling as a lens through which to explore human drama—proving that those who hunger for applause and approval often wrestle with conflicts deep within themselves.