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Almost two decades ago, Zac Efron became famous for his role as Troy Bolton in the Disney Channel Original movie “High School Musical.”
During Disney Channel’s early 2000s era, “High School Musical” emerged as a monumental success, leaving an indelible mark on the channel and the period. At its core, the film grappled with a fundamental question: would Troy Bolton, portrayed by Efron, maintain his outwardly masculine persona by adhering to basketball and fulfilling his father’s expectations, or would he defy norms and reveal a more vulnerable side by participating in a stage play?
Since Efron’s breakthrough performance, he has personally confronted these dilemmas in his own life and career. Striving to uphold a traditional leading man physique, Efron has candidly discussed the adverse effects of such relentless pursuits on his mental and physical well-being. In many respects, “The Iron Claw” serves as a feature-length culmination of these recurring themes in Efron’s career—a profound exploration of the societal expectations defining masculinity and the toll it takes on entire generations, echoing an almost religious reckoning with the concept of manhood.
TOP FIVE THINGS ABOUT “THE IRON CLAW”
5. The Music
“The Iron Claw” offers an extraordinary cinematic experience across all aspects, and the film’s audio components are no exception. From creatively crafted and subjective sound design to inspired needle drops and unsettling, subversive scoring, the music and sound of “The Iron Claw” form a captivating journey in themselves.
Set against the backdrop of the late ’70s and early ’80s, the creative team deserves high praise for taking familiar needle drops like Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ and Rush’s ‘Tom Sawyer’ and presenting them as entirely unique, definitive cinematic renditions. The ‘Tom Sawyer’ montage, in particular, achieves instant and enduring iconic status.
Richard Reed Parry’s original musical score, which includes a song for an in-movie band, adds another layer of excellence. His understated scoring during the film’s significant moments, coupled with sub-sound swells, enhances the impact of key scenes, contributing to the overall fantastic quality of the film.
4. The Ensemble
The entire cast assembled for “The Iron Claw” is astounding. Populated with a veritable smorgasbord of ludicrous talent, every single member of the cast knocks this out of the park. Special praise must be heaped on performers such as Holt McCallany, Maura Tierney, Jeremy Allen White, and Lily James. McCallany’s rigid and abrasive performance is crucial to the film’s entire thematic success, Tierney’s understated work speaks volumes to the point of often being deafening in its impact, White is the film’s infallible scene-stealer, and Lily James is the film’s beating heart.
To speak a bit more on that, Lily James has been turning in wonderful performances for years now, and “The Iron Claw” is a perfect example of just how much of a pinch-hitter she is, elevating what’s on the page with emotional vulnerability and authenticity in often staggering fashion.
3. Matthew Hannam’s Editing
“The Iron Claw” is among the most invigoratingly edited films of 2023. Editor Matthew Hannnam and director Sean Durkin establish a rhythm and tone immediately in the film’s opening frames and further refine it across the runtime in fascinating ways.
In working tirelessly to craft a cinematic work that encapsulates the story of the Von Erich family across multiple decades and generations, “The Iron Claw” opts to hone in on the most intimate and personal moments of these characters’ lives rather than simply recounting their most obvious external moments. The results are immensely potent and deeply affecting, with some of the largest actions of the story happening offscreen but with the emotional fallout, the reaction to those actions, being all too faithfully and painfully captured onscreen.
All of this is filtered through a sense of pacing and hard-cutting both in and out of the ring that feels delightfully indebted to Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing on Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.” The final picture is harrowing and full of resonance.
2. Efron Himself
Every aspect of “The Iron Claw” is improved by Efron, and every aspect of Efron is enhanced by “The Iron Claw.” It is a harmonious relationship between film and performer in such a beautiful form that it is awe-inspiring.
The film explores masculinity and the ways in which its stranglehold on the Von Ehrich family fundamentally prevents them from being open with one another. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in Efron’s breathtaking and insightful performance as he skillfully whittles away the gusto and bravado of the early acts into something much more honest, open, and vulnerable. Thus, “The Iron Claw” serves as a tremendous showcase for Efron’s remarkable range, and Efron strengthens the core of the film both from within and from outside of it, in a metatextual sense. He is perfect for the role in every way.
1. Sean Durkin’s Direction
Writer-director Sean Durkin’s phenomenal craftsmanship is displayed throughout “The Iron Claw.” He and cinematographer Mátyás Erdély deliver a visual language that feels tactile, filmic, and achingly present. The opening sequence of the film, photographed in black and white, is such a strong visual statement and only makes the subsequent introduction of the film’s color palette all the more striking in its beauty.
A central theme in “The Iron Claw” revolves around performance: the wrestlers’ actions in the ring, their interactions outside it, and the toll these performances exact. Durkin’s directorial approach adeptly embraces this concept, employing clever techniques such as prolonged takes and gradual zooms, coupled with thoughtful blocking that foregrounds the very essence of performance in the characters’ portrayals. This motif persists until the film’s concluding scene, where any semblance of performance is abandoned entirely, replaced by a distinctly untidy and unrestrained atmosphere. The outcome is a profound emotional catharsis, underscoring the potency of Durkin’s writing and directorial prowess.
RGM GRADE
(A)
“The Iron Claw” is extraordinary, featuring magnificent performances, incredible editing, great musical choices, and some truly inspired writing and directing. It’s a deeply personal, truly wonderful, emotional film.
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