Hot off the miraculous success of Backrooms, which nearly became the studio’s highest-grossing movie in one weekend, A24 has seemingly unlocked the formula for being the ideal movie studio in 2026. Having come a long way since being an obscure distributor of low-budget arthouse films, A24 took a gamble by attaching itself to big-budget projects over the last three years, including Civil War and Marty Supreme.
They’ve struck a steady balance between their signature auteur dramas, horror movies with a viral appeal, and familiar mid-budget genre pictures that used to be made regularly by the major studios. The heartbreaking wrestling drama The Iron Claw may not have fit the conventional A24 model, but the studio imbued its artful sensibilities into this somber biographical story by Sean Durkin that’s set to leave Netflix on June 18.
‘The Iron Claw’ Dramatizes One of the Darkest Sports Stories in History
Anyone with knowledge of the Von Erich family knew that they were in for an excruciating ride when Durkin, best known for the psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, decided to dramatize the rise and fall of the storied professional wrestling family from Texas. The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson as Kevin, Kerry, and David Von Erich, respectively, depicts one of the most tragic stories in modern American history. Under the control of the family patriarch, Fritz (Holt McCallany), the Von Erich boys became the top stars of the pro wrestling circuit as a group and solo performers. Due to the punishing physical and mental toll of wrestling — along with their relentless aspiration — the lone surviving member, Kevin, watches his brothers die from substance abuse and suicide.
This saga was so dark that Durkin had to excise Chris Von Erich from the script, stating that his story was “one more tragedy that the film couldn’t really withstand.” On the surface, The Iron Claw, also starring Maura Tierney and Lily James, is an unbearable exercise in trauma porn. Of course, Durkin never minimizes the text’s inherent bleakness, and the film’s most sobering moments are as devastating as they sound. However, the movie, completely ignored by the Oscars, is a worthy watch with much more substance than just pure anguish. The tension between Fritz, a former wrestler looking to reclaim his glory years vicariously through his offspring, and the young men speaks to a universal feeling that resonates with all viewers amid the growing divide between generations.
‘The Iron Claw’ Is a Humane Examination of Professional Wrestling
Filled wall-to-wall with excellent performances, particularly by a career-best turn by Zac Efron, The Iron Claw is a painterly portrait of an idyllic American family undergoing a grave crisis. Beginning with their innocence as budding wrestling superstars to Kevin learning how to raise his own family amid the death of his brothers, Durkin crafts a modern-day American tragedy — akin to a classic Hollywood film starring James Dean or Marlon Brando, with a recognizable A24 touch — making these larger-than-life characters seem wholly relatable and emotionally complex.
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Sean Durkin’s most deeply moving film to date is this marital drama, which takes a very cynical look at the collapse of a relationship.
Named after the Von Erich family’s signature in-ring move, The Iron Claw is the best narrative film about the art of professional wrestling. Durkin shows a genuine fascination with the minutiae of sports entertainment, which combines athletics with soap opera dramaturgy. Audiences who are oblivious to what makes wrestling “real” and “fake” are educated on the idea of selling your opponents’ moves and promoters pushing wrestlers for more matches and title shots based on their popularity. David’s skills on the mic, known as “cutting promo” in wrestling parlance, elevate him above his pre-established brothers. All performers inside the squared circle take on an unbreakable bond, with the Von Erichs’ most notable friend being legendary WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair (Aaron Dean Eisenberg).
While it may not be the kind of movie designed to lift your spirits, The Iron Claw is a profound text on life, mortality, and the harsh realities of the American Dream. Despite its innately tragic backdrop, Sean Durkin’s biographical drama finds a way to be life-affirming, fully realized by its deeply moving conclusion that shows Kevin Von Erich surrounded by his own family, which emphasizes that there’s always something to live for.