The Iron Claw [Blu-ray]

Brothers in Arms

As a child, the director, Sean Durkin, was what he calls a “wrestling freak.” “I loved wrestling,” he recalls. “I was obsessed.” He first became hooked watching World Wrestling Federation matches in the late 80s before expanding into other wrestling promotions including Fritz Von Erich’s own WCCW. He collected any magazines

or toys he could find and would go into bookstores to hunt down VHS tapes of old National Wrestling Alliance matches.

Behind the Scenes

“It was one of the most challenging things I've ever done physically,” Zac Efron says, who stars in the film. “I started one of the most rigorous training and diet programs that I've ever been on in my entire life. It was very tough. But it was ultimately a really big insight for me into who Kevin was — just the dedication that he was willing to put into his physicality, into wrestling, and into his body, the way that he strove for perfection.”

Kevin Von Erich; in his own words

Enough time has passed, Kevin Von Erich says, for him to think about the things that have happened in his family without the immediate sting of grief. “This is 30 years ago, so I can talk about it and it doesn't bother me,” he says. But watching The Iron Claw, he notes, “it really took me home just seeing them. It really touched me. A couple times I got tears in my eyes. It was really moving… I think Sean has created a masterpiece here.”