7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The true story of the Von Erich brothers, who, through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, seek epic immortality on the biggest stage in sports.
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Zac Efron, Lily James, Harris Dickinson, Maura TierneySport | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The title of The Iron Claw might initially make it sound like it's the kind of "old school" martial arts film put out by the likes of the Shaw Brothers, and released on Blu-ray by the likes of Arrow, Radiance and/or 88 Films. And in a way, the kind of "flashy action" that has populated so many "historical" martial arts films is simply updated to 20th century wrestling for this appealing if kind of unavoidably downbeat feature focusing on the Von Erich family, who, for those unacquainted with this maybe slightly questionable "sport", helped to popularize wrestling, especially the televised variety, but who suffered a series of tragedies which stemmed at least in part from questionable parenting decisions on the part of paterfamilias Fritz (Holt McCallany). Relationships between fathers and sons are often fraught of course (and I say this as both a son and father to boys), but the relationships between Fritz and his five sons as depicted in this film will probably strike many as positively disastrous, and it may be salient to note that the main "making of" supplement on this disc overtly refers to "toxic masculinity", which Fritz seemed to have in spades and frankly also seems to wish to pass down to his offspring. That may tend to leave wife and mother Doris (Maura Tierney) out in the veritable cold, so to speak, but even she doesn't escape an intermittently withering eye from writer and director Sean Durkin, who might suggest that Doris was too passive when viewing Fritz's over the top martinet tactics with his sons, leading to lots of emotional turmoil in the kids.
The Iron Claw is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of A24 and Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The closing credits offer a "shot on Kodak film" logo, but as of the writing of this review, the IMDb doesn't list the resolution of the DI. One way or the other, this is a really gorgeous looking transfer that is incredibly appealing in terms of its organic qualities, general detail levels, and especially an incredibly robustly suffused palette. The story actually opens with a brief black and white vignette (see screenshots 18 and 19), which has solid contrast and good detail levels despite taking place in near darkness. Once the story segues to color, the palette virtually erupts at times, with a kind of buttery yellow ambience suffusing some of the (supposed) Texan outdoor scenes, and with a ton of interior sequences also offering some surprisingly vivid tones. Fine detail is typically excellent throughout, supported by Durkin's repeated use of extreme close-ups. Grain is really tightly resolved throughout the presentation. I noticed no compression issues, and in fact was kind of pleasantly surprised by the absence of banding in scenes like the opening black and white wrestling ring moments where a kind of "misty" look through backlighting could have created some issues with a less competent compressionist.
While the closing credits offer a Dolby Atmos logo, this disc offers a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which itself is nicely immersive, if perhaps lacking some of the (literal) over the top aspects an Atmos track might have provided. From the opening roars of the crowd watching Fritz pummel and opponent to many later sequences showing various wrestling matches, the side and rear channels are noticeably engaged in all of the big "action" scenes, but they're also active in ostensibly "quieter" moments, including a lot of the family scenes offering the Von Erich brothers in various pursuits. A glut of outdoor material also provides good opportunities for well placed ambient environmental sounds. A nicely rendered score by Richard Reed Parry also populates the surround channels invitingly. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
A lot of the venerable martial arts outings from the likes of the Shaw Brothers memorably focused on "brotherhood", and that is certainly part and parcel of the Von Erich story. This is ultimately a rather sad tale, despite Durkin's attempts to provide a quasi-happy ending of sorts with some textual information as things come to a close, and so those coming to this film had best be prepared for something of a "downer". Performances are great (the actors portraying the Von Erichs evidently did their own wrestling), and technical merits are first rate. Recommended.
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