The Iron Claw ★★★★

SEAN Durkin’s The Iron Claw isn’t just about professional wrestling, so don’t let that deter you from watching this entertaining film.

It’s more about ‘family’ than all the Fast and Furious action films which seem to love throwing that word around with careless abandon.

The Iron Claw is based on a true story about a family trying to both succeed and survive during their unbridled pursuit of excellence in one sport.

The Von Erich family – Jack, Doris and their five sons – created one of the most famous dynasties in the history of the sport.

But they also had to contend with a series of events that relatedly leave them battling to hold themselves together while questioning whether the family name was truly cursed.

There is no doubt that father Jack was a strict disciplinarian, perhaps even a tyrant, driven by his own demons telling him that the wrestling establishment is against him and his family both professionally and personally.

His sons are mostly willing participants in this pursuit of getting the recognition that Jack is adamant the family deserves, until such time as tragedies begin to take their toll.

The cast is terrific, headed by Holt McCallany as Jack and Zac Efron as son Kevin, both giving career-best performances.

There’s a great soundtrack and the wrestling sequences themselves, which were apparently filmed in a series of single takes in front live audiences, are suitably tough and entertaining.

Watched at the cinema