Down below are major spoilers for The Iron Claw. So read on with caution...
After watching A24’s The Iron Claw, it’s more than clear to me why everyone’s saying the same thing about Zac Efron’s performance. In short, it truly marks a career best for him. Not only does the High School Musical alum deserve all of the credit for his massive muscles but for portraying a wrestler who had to go through the grief and trauma of experiencing each of his brothers' deaths. The sports biopic’s director, Sean Durkin, recently explained how that emotional final scene was crafted and, because of it, I'm getting the feels all over again.
What's important to know about The Iron Claw is that the Von Erich wrestling family, which experienced numerous tragedies, with many linking that to “the Von Erich curse.” Wrestler Kevin Von Erich (who Zac Efron plays in the movie) is the only brother from the dynasty still living today. The film shows the turmoil he and his family experienced in the '80s and '90s . Its final scene puts a beautiful cap on the story, though, as it shows Efron's Kevin, who's crying, watching his two young sons playing together in their backyard. The two boys then proceed to comfort their dad after seeing him shedding tears.
While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Sean Durkin revealed that the tender moment was filmed on the last day of production and, apparently, he was emotional as well. However, that wasn't for the reason you might assume:
Well, it was the very last day. I was crying because England had just been knocked out of the World Cup, so tears were flowing. (Laughs.) But it was all leading up to that for Zac, because there were so many moments in the film where his character just wants to cry. His character just wants to break, and I just kept saying to him, ‘No, not now, not here.’ And so he was keeping it all in, and when we finally got to that final day, he was just full of tears. It was incredible. We did seven takes of that shot with the boys. He just kept going, and it was really amazing. He had just saved it all up, and he was just really present. So there wasn’t much to it at that point. The kids were great, and everyone knew what it was.
And just like that, here I am getting emotional through Sean Durkin’s heartfelt words. The final scene of The Iron Claw was my tear-breakout moment, too, and that's saying a lot. In each scene featuring Zac Efron and his on-screen brothers, you could feel the love between them. That’s why it’s all the more heartbreaking to see Kevin lose each one and be told by his domineering father not to show emotion through it all. So it's fitting that while watching his young boys play, Kevin found his freedom to express his emotions and allow himself to feel everything that was inside. Efron deserves much praise for his performance in that scene, and Durkin should get credit for his direction.
Kevin Von Erich suffered unspeakable tragedies but did eventually find happiness. As the post-credits epilogue explained, Kevin and his wife, Pam, have been married for over 40 years and bought a ranch in Texas. Together, they have four kids and 13 grandkids. What you should also know about the Von Erich elder's family beyond the big screen is that Kevin got the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship he always wanted and retired from wrestling in 1995. His two sons, Marshall and Ross, ended up following the family wrestling tradition, winning the MLW World Tag Team Champions title in 2019.
Zac Efron’s muscles and comedic chops in movies like 17 Again and Neighbors have been well noted. However, his performance in The Iron Claw shows audiences a whole new side to him as an actor. Critics felt like he gave a “heartbreaking” performance, and I agree. Kevin Von Erich also commended Efron for his performance, which is a major boon for the star.
The Iron Claw's emotional final scene was perfectly crafted, and there's a good chance that cinema buffs are going to be talking about it for some time. One can only hope, however. that Zac Efron will get some significant recognition for his performance during this awards season. Now, before I get too emotional talking about the scene again, I'll just say that you can watch the 2023 new movie release in theaters now.
