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Movie Review

The Iron Claw (2023) Movie Review

The Iron Claw – Movie Review

The Iron Claw tells the remarkable true story of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty feat. Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White & others.

Director: Sean Burkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

Writer: Sean Burkin (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.

Runtime: 2 Hours 12 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Iron Claw starts as we see how Fritz Von Erich (McCallany) dreamt of being the NWA Worlds Champion. He has trained his sons Kevin (Efron), David (Dickinson), Mike (Simons) and Kerry (White) in the ring. Kevin was the oldest and first in the ring and Von Erich name carried a lot of weight in their territory.

However, Kevin always believed the family was cursed and when tragedy starts hitting the family. Despite having Pam (James) in his life, he struggles to deal with the losses and find his own place in the business.

Verdict on The Iron Claw

The Iron Claw is a biopic following the lives of the Von Erich family. They were one of the biggest families in wrestling in the 1980s, but their lives are covered in tragedy. We follow Kevin’s life as he deals with the tragedies happening around him.

This is a movie that gets to highlight the tragic lives of the Von Erichs. It focuses more on the oldest brother’s view of the tragic moments and how they affected his life. If you know going in, you will be prepared for the events. However, being unaware proves how sudden the moments are.  The performances are fantastic with Zac Efron shining throughout the movie.

Where to Watch

The Iron Claw is currently in UK cinemas.

Final Thoughts – The Iron Claw is an amazing sports drama following the tragic lives of the Von Erichs.

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Movie Review

Notorious Nick (2021) Movie Review

Director: Aaron Leong

Writer: Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken, Darrin Reed (Screenplay)

Starring: Cody Christian, Elisabeth Rohm, Kevin Pollak, Barry Livingston, Cameron James Matthews, Samuel Evan Horowitz

Plot: Nick Newell, a one-armed MMA fighter gets a rare chance to fight for the lightweight championship. He strives to win for himself and all the other people in the world with physical challenges.


Tagline – Based on the true story of the rise of a champion.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Notorious Nick starts when two life long friends Nick Newll (Christian) and Abi (Matthews) have spent their whole lives loving wrestling, before taking on the sport, despite Nick having a disability of only having one arm. The pair have always supported each other before trying their luck at MMA in a competition that Abi wins.

After a tragedy around Abi, Nick is given the chance to enter the cage fighting world, where he turns to his former wrestling coach Jeremy Libiszewski (Livingston) for training, looking to make a major impact in a sport most don’t see him having a chance in.

Thoughts on Notorious Nick

Thoughts – Notorious Nick is a sports drama focusing on the career rising from his high school wrestling to becoming MMA star. This is based on the real fighter who overcame the odds of his disability to compete against the toughest fighters in the sport. This is everything a sport drama would have needed to do, being one that will make you root for the underdog to achieve. The fighting training is everything you expect, with the matches doing the same, it would be fair to call this a safe by the book sports drama, that never seems to risk that much on its way to the ending people who know the fighter, already knew about. The performances in the film work well, with Cody Christian in the leading role handling the fight side of things well and Barry Livingston doing all that was needed in the coaching role.

Final Thoughts – Notorious Nick is a safe sports drama never going further than it needs to.