The Ending Of The Iron Claw Explained

Director Sean Durkin has spoken at length about the themes that inspired him to write «The Iron Claw.» As he told The Hollywood Reporter, he «wanted to tackle the sort of trappings of masculinity and the very toxic ideas about toughness and being a man and what they are and how to break those.» This fight to break — or even just survive — the perverse and fatally toxic influence of traditional masculinity is quite evident in Durkin’s portrayal of the Von Erichs, whose real-life story serves as a similar cautionary tale of emotional repression and abuse.

For star Zac Efron, it was incredibly important that his portrayal be as truthful to the Von Erich’s experience as possible, his most important critic being the real Kevin Von Erich. «Over the course of filming this movie, [his opinion] was pretty much all I could think about,» he told THR. Though Efron’s performance perfectly supports Durkin’s interrogation of traditional masculinity, his perspective as an actor is more personal and psychological. «There’s a huge element of the movie that’s, of course, about wrestling and the showmanship aspect,» he told Entertainment Weekly. «But really, at its core, this movie’s an incredible story about family, love, loss, and ultimately the triumph of a man who tries to break the cycle of this crazy curse.»