The Iron Claw Review Roundup

Sean Durkin's third feature, The Iron Claw, tells the true story of the Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.

Set for a release on December 22, the film stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson and is gaining traction since reactions have been pouring out of early screenings.

First reviews have dropped, and The Iron Claw has scored a 93% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes from 44 reviews.

You can find a selection of those early reactions below.

• Polygon: Through Durkin's eyes, longtime fans and newcomers alike can see the paradoxical reality of pro wrestling — an entertainment that is both theater and sport, fake and real, and too often safer in the ring than outside of it.

• Screen International: Writer-director Sean Durkin's third feature shares with his first two a fascination for the darker aspects of human nature, but there is a newfound tenderness that makes this crushing drama all the more affecting.

• indieWire: I can’t help but feel as if Durkin's choice to streamline the Von Erich family saga befits the ecstasy of a sport where the line between truth and fiction is body-slammed from the top rope a dozen times every match.

• Hollywood Reporter: As a wrenching American heartland saga, The Iron Claw is certainly compelling, and to anyone unfamiliar with the Von Erichs' history, each jolt of fresh anguish delivered to the family will be startling.

• Deadline Hollywood Daily: This is greek tragedy Texas-style, but it has some significant saving graces in the outstanding performances from a terrific cast Durkin has assembled, led by Efron in a role that may surprise many but this is a fine, often underrated actor.