Waiting in the parking lot is Fritz’s wife, Doris (Maura Tierney) and their young kids. In a 1950s-era prologue rendered in black-and-white, the eventual patriarch and promoter (an excellent Holt McCallany) is in the ring himself, displaying his famed “Iron Claw” maneuver: a punishing two-handed grip on a doomed opponent’s skull, crushing it like a vice. And from that affection stems perhaps both the strength and weakness of “The Iron Claw.” It's a film that tells its stunning tale with heart and conviction, yet seems somehow reticent about pointing a truly critical finger at either the brutality of a sport that broke this family, or the man who seemed to give his sons no choice in the matter: family patriarch Fritz Von Erich. Indeed, so devastating is the story that Durkin felt the need to excise brother Chris, one of three lost to suicide, from this retelling entirely.ĭurkin has said he was a committed wrestling fan from his childhood in England, where he scoured magazines to learn more about the exploits of the Von Erichs, who made their name in the colorful, high-flying, entertainment-heavy wrestling world of the ’70s and early ’80s. It’s hardly a spoiler alert to say that Kevin, by 35, was the only surviving brother of an original six. It's also clear from the get-go how invested writer-director Sean Durkin was in telling the true-life tale of the Von Erich family wrestling dynasty, which - shockingly, to those of us unfamiliar with the story - suffered a set of tragic losses almost too staggering to imagine. Just one look at the taut mass of muscle and sinew he’s become for the role will do the trick. Don’t miss it.It doesn’t take long to understand the level of commitment Zac Efron brings to “The Iron Claw” as Texas wrestling brother Kevin Von Erich. Things will keep heating up with our next entry in the Top 30 Muscle Movies of all time. Or reach out to us on Facebook and Twitter.

It’s just a plain joy to see two competitors of different stature and fighting styles duke it out for ninety minutes.īe sure to leave us some comments here. And that’s what we are all here to see anyway. Sure, Dolph later admitted it was a publicity stunt, but deep down we all know that they just love the competition. The competition between these two powerhouses was so intense that they actually got into a shoving match at the Cannes Film Festival red carpet. And Lundgren carries such a domineering presence that you think he might punch right through the screen. Van Damme is in great shape for this film delivering some impressive high kicks in every direction. With gunfights, fistfights, and explosions around every corner, this is an action lover’s dream.

Van Damme literally kicked ass in Bloodsport and Lundgren nearly beat Stallone to death in Rocky IV – making this film the ultimate crossover of muscle bound action stars. It doesn’t get much better than seeing the Muscles from Brussels take on Dolph “Drago” Lundgren in one of the most explosive action packed movies of the 90s.īoth of these heavy hitters were already stars in their own right. UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (ROLAND EMMERICH, 1992)

Strong muscle bound movie stars