Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Religious Music and Entertainment
Wrestling with Fate

Wrestling with Fate

Last updated on: January 2, 2024 at 4:42 pm by Chase Padusniak

0 Comments

Wrestling with Fate 2024-01-02T16:42:27-04:00 Chase Padusniak

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Von Erichs in happier times.
Source: Wrestlinghut via Wikipedia
License: Fair Use

Curses are a nasty business and generational ones infinitely more so. It’s easy to call a catastrophe or two bad luck, but when enough ill has befallen you over a short enough period of time, it won’t be long before you start calling Eugene from Hey Arnold! (1996-2004) fortunate.

Today, we call this natural enough reaction “depression” or “generational trauma,” but these more enlightened monikers were not available or only in their infancies in the long-haired 80s and 90s, when Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw (2023) takes place. In this film (based, astonishingly enough, on a true story), the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers must confront a baffling series of horrors from the death of a young child to a crippling in the ring and even suicide. The fact that it manages to do so with minimal emotional handwringing and with exciting, tightly shot and choreographed scenes of physical competition is itself the kind of miracle that makes one believe in curses.

The cause of the family’s misery is the four brothers’ domineering father, Fritz (Holt McCallany), whose success in wrestling never quite reached the apex he’d hoped for. His boys will have to pay the price. They must be the best, must become NWA world champions, grow their father’s Texas-based wrestling territory, and win the hearts of fans everywhere. Given the tallness of this order, it’s amazing how far the brothers went in achieving these goals. They became legends in Texas, which the movie hints at with the brief scenes of crowds forming outside the Sportatorium and long, JFK-like lines awaiting funeral processions. Though Fritz’s selfishness and cruelty may be the cause of the curse, the film is smart enough not to make him a cartoonish monster. McCallany’s father is a cold, driven machine of a man whose great sin is his willingness to sacrifice his sons on the rough-hewn altar of ambition. Then again, he has proffered himself on the very same smooth surface, driven his sons to ruin by the failure of his body’s offering.

In this way, Fritz becomes a pathetic character at the head of a tragic family. The brothers are, it must be admitted, somewhat two-dimensional in this movie. Durkin is trying (and largely succeeding) at taking material that could easily fill four hours and cutting it down to a lean two and change. Inevitably, parts will be missing (including an entire brother who simply doesn’t exist in the world of The Iron Claw) and characters will be flattened. This group regrettably includes the only Von Erich sibling still with us, Kevin (Zac Efron), who acts as our point of view. He feels puppy-like, a dim spyglass through whom we observe events. His perspective is necessary, though it often feels unrealized or blurred. Maybe Kevin is actually like that; I don’t know.

The Iron Claw’s faults, however, are greatly outmatched by its strengths. My wife, who knows very little about professional wrestling, was gripped the entire time, even cried during the final sequence. Perhaps then cinematic magic has triumphed again; the curse is broken and Kevin, story committed to the silver screen, has happily had the last laugh.

Reviews

Fritz Von Erich

Kevin Von Erich

Professional Wrestling

The Iron Claw

Tragedy

Von Erich Family

Previous Post

December 28, 2023

In the Theater of Ghosts

Next Post

January 10, 2024 What is This Quintessence of Dust?

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Do The Right Thing was a terrible movie, with a terrible message, a man owns ..."

Frank Holzhauser

Do the Right Thing: What Can ..."

"NOT the experience of those who actually lived through those years. Let's not forget that.Too ..."

captcrisis

54: Let the Good Times Roll

"Your accurate assessment of where the Blockbuster and the studios have ended up reminded me ..."

Dave G.

Jaws: Ad Fontes

"Another Dementia experience: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkbxNibXiLx_ak8IuhZiutd2Fxe7_KAon&si=VhOYNUIBV3CTlyDf"

Ame

Dementia: Silent Nightmare

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Academia Culture Politics Reviews Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 December 2020 November 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 April 2019 March 2019 December 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to 1 John, if we claim to be without sin, what do we do?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us Blaspheme the Holy Spirit Lie to God Mock the sacrifice of Christ