This impressive piece of cinema does well in showcasing the tragic true events of the legendary Von Erich family – but like that wrestling dynasty it falls just short of true greatness.
There was uproar in some quarters that it was snubbed for Oscars and Golden Globes recognition – especially headlined with an exceptional lead performance from the beefed up Zac Efron and his co-star Holt McCallany (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back) – but ends up more in the ‘really solid’ than ‘sensational’ category.
And that’s mainly down to a lack of character development of some of the Von Erich brothers – and several important events being quickly skimmed over. Especially Kerry ‘The Texas Tornado’ Von Erich’s run in the WWF (now WWE) as Intercontinental Champion in the early nineties. And there’s also a brother (albeit the lesser known Chris) completely missing from proceedings – apparently due to his ‘suicide’ making the movie just far too depressing than it already is.
The story is predominantly centred around Texas-based wrestling promoter Fritz Von Erich (McCallany) and his four sons – eldest Kevin (Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and youngest Mike (Stanley Simons).
Alongside his wife Doris (Maura Tierney), Fritz proves to be a hard taskmaster as he aims to turn his wrestling promotion into a national powerhouse by getting the NWA world heavyweight title on one of his sons. Starting with Efron’s Kevin – who meets local girl Pam (Lily James) in the process – but he struggles with the suitable ‘mic skills’ to match his younger brothers.
But sadly, tragedy besets the family – known as the ‘Von Erich curse’ – as a multitude of traumatic circumstances hamper the closely-knit brothers, just when championship gold is in their (and briefly held) grasp. Usually headlined by systematic substance abuse by the majority of them.
What this leads to is an extremely competent slice of biographical movie-making that has an emotional punch – and some noteworthy performances from a committed cast.
It will definitely resonate more with wrestling fans – like myself as a WWF fan growing up – than your casual cinema-goer, but it’s still a credibly consistent drama in its own right.
It has a little bit of ring rust – but its iron claw will still grip you.
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ESP Rating: 4/5
Gavin Miller
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Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough, Out Now
Cast:Â Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Holt McCallany, Lily James, Stanley Simons, Maura Tierney, Michael J Harney, Maxwell Jacob Friedman & Chavo Guerrero Jr
Running Time:Â 2 Hrs 12 Mins
Director:Â Sean Durkin
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