The Iron Claw
A24 | Release Date: December 22, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 55 Critic Reviews
Positive:
45
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyFeb 9, 2024
“We’ll tell it, but with one fewer death” is an odd way to go about this tale – which ends up as a solid flexing exercise for its cast, but puts us through a family’s annihilation for no other reason it can ultimately decide upon. Read full review
60
NMEJames MottramFeb 9, 2024
Certainly, it’s not for those looking for fist-pumping sporting triumphalism. But in this age of franchise vapidity, it’s still a film worth grappling with. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla DargisDec 22, 2023
There’s pleasure and meaning in the sons’ roughhousing and camaraderie, as well as beauty, heat and melancholy in their heartbreakingly fleeting physical perfection. Yet as the story’s uglier side emerges, Durkin hedges. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreDec 20, 2023
Late in The Iron Claw comes a sequence that departs from everything that’s come before and drops us unabashedly into Kevin’s mind at a time of intense grief. It’s earnest, and corny, and utterly devastating, and it makes you yearn for a film that wasn’t so intent on holding its tragic subjects at a brawny arm’s length. Read full review
60
The GuardianAdrian HortonDec 12, 2023
The Von Erichs endured so much loss, and Durkin manages to convey some of it. Read full review
58
The Daily BeastNick SchagerDec 12, 2023
Blame for this sports drama’s shallow leadenness can’t be similarly pinned on the supernatural; instead, its shortcomings are attributable to a one-dimensional script and resultant performances that are far less nuanced than its headliners’ ripped bodies. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJan 2, 2024
Unfortunately, Durkin’s script is so shallow that every character is reduced to a simple sketch. Read full review
50
IGNAmelia EmberwingDec 15, 2023
Unfortunately, great performances and reverence for the sport aren’t enough to save a film at odds with itself. Read full review
50
CNNBrian LowryDec 13, 2023
The movie’s earnestness can’t wriggle away from the pretty powerful temptation to tap out. Read full review
40
BBCCaryn JamesDec 12, 2023
The Iron Claw's shallowness and eventual treacliness are especially disappointing. Read full review
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