The Iron Claw – Sean Durkin’s biographical sports drama based on the Von Erich wrestling dynasty – is coming to Netflix on 9 August.
Hailed as a “Modern masterpiece” by Cinemasters, the critically acclaimed film boasts a stacked cast with Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons, as well as Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Lily James and Michael J. Harney.
Tracing the meteoric rise of the Von Erichs, a real-life family of professional wrestlers who became world famous in the early 1980s, The Iron Claw depicts the euphoric successes and harrowing tragedies that would befall them.
Garnering positive reviews from critics, the drama currently holds an admirable rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. “The Iron Claw is as exuberant as it is mournful, and the high spirits of performance and achievement are inseparable from the price that they exact,” wrote The New Yorker.
“Efron is an underrated actor, and this is a star-making performance,” added the New Statesman. Echoing this sentiment, the Associated Press noted: “Efron, with his rock-hard physique and ’70s mullet, turns in some of the most affecting work of his career.”
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Related: The Iron Claw’s true story is even more tragic than the movie
Meanwhile, Empire Magazine raved: “A heavyweight collective has just entered the ring.”
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Efron opened up about the widespread emotional response to the film. “There’s things in it for everyone, I think. Whatever you take away from it, I’m just happy you got something out of the film,” he said.
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“One of the cooler things that somebody put me onto, this wasn’t even that long ago, it was like a week ago, there’s a trend where after the film, people are filming their responses, where they’re emotional, or I’ve seen some candid ones of groups of guys coming out of the theatre and just hugging each other.
“Those are really powerful, that says everything.”
The Iron Claw will land on Netflix on 9 August.
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Megan is a freelance news reporter for Digital Spy.