'The Iron Claw' omits an entire Von Erich brother. We spoke with the director about it
[Warning: The following contains spoilers for "The Iron Claw."]
The story of the Von Erich pro-wrestling dynasty is the stuff of legends, or, as filmmaker Sean Durkin sees it, a Greek tragedy of fathers and sons. A close-knit wrestling clan of five Texas brothers raised in the ring by their world champ patriarch, the Von Erichs rose to fame as all-American golden boys in the 1970s and '80s, only to be struck by one unimaginable loss after another.
Their saga gets the biopic treatment in A24's "The Iron Claw," written and directed by Durkin ("Martha Marcy May Marlene"), in theaters Friday. Inspired by the true tale of the Von Erich family, the ensemble is led by Zac Efron as Kevin, Harris Dickinson as David, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry, Stanley Simons as Mike, Holt McCallany as their domineering dad, Fritz, and Maura Tierney as their mother, Doris.
Molded into wholesome ring heroes by wrestler-turned-promoter Fritz in his syndicated World Class Championship Wrestling outfit, the brothers soared to stardom. Then tragedy fell and didn't let up: The popular David died suddenly in 1984 while on tour in Japan; Mike took his own life in 1987 after suffering debilitating injuries; and onetime Olympic hopeful Kerry endured physical, legal and addiction issues before committing suicide in 1993.
Their deaths are major turning points in "The Iron Claw," as seen through the eyes of Kevin. But one glaring omission has not escaped the notice of wrestling fans: Chris, the youngest Von Erich, who also wrestled but failed to match his brothers' success — and died by suicide in 1991 at age 21 — is nowhere to be found.
Chris was included in
