The Iron Claw (2024)

Direction: Sean Durkin
Country: USA

Having savored Sean Durkin’s previous directorial works - Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) and The Nest (2020) - I eagerly anticipated The Iron Claw, his third feature based on a real story about a family of wrestlers. However, it proved to be a significant disappointment. Despite the weighty events it attempts to chronicle, the film's tone feels surprisingly light, resulting in a dismal execution that casts a shadow over its potential.

This American tragedy, transformed into a ludicrous pastiche, follows the inseparable Von Erich brothers, driven to wrestling stardom by their tyrannical and negligent father. While they left their mark on professional wrestling in the early '80s, the film questions the price paid for success. 

The Iron Claw compares to wrestling in the way that it’s all pose and artifice but no brains or integrity. In addition to overlong, the film lacks emotion at every turn, and the acting never impressed - Jeremy Allen White being the exception. 

Making matters worse, Durkin’s loss of direction in the sentimental last part of the film sinks the narrative deeper. Regretfully, The Iron Claw emerges as a slippery and inaccurate sports drama, failing to make a lasting impact. 

The Nest (2020)

Direction: Sean Durkin
Country: UK / Canada

The stake was high for Canadian writer/director Sean Durkin’s sophomore feature after such a fantastic debut with the indie gem Martha Marcy May Marlene in 2011. Although not disappointed with the slow-burning thriller The Nest, which walks a fine line to create enough character development and keeps us interested in its psychological web, I have to admit that this is far from any type of brilliancy. Still, the film delivers a few acute observations in its portrayal of the O’Haras, a family that, trying to adapt to a new life in London after moving from the US, creates a downward spiral into disharmony.

Jude Law and Carrie Coon carry their performances with strength, forging a male-female relationship that seems condemned to collapse. He says: “you’re embarrassing”, she responds “you’re exhausting”. Can love beat vanity and power?

Isolation, estrangement, dishonesty and deception, all shape a family-decaying story mounted with stark realism. It’s a shame that Durkin opted for the easiest conclusion, but the film remains valid. Both the pop/rock soundtrack and the film score are great.