Sean Durkin’s biopic about the Von Erich wrestling dynasty features stellar performances in a script that can’t quite find its footing.

In 2008, Mickey Rourke made a surprise and stunning comeback in Aronofsky’s The Wrestler. His once pretty-boy face distorted from years of drugs and plastic surgery suddenly felt tailor-made for the role of Randy “The Ram” Robinson — a wrestler on the outs, clinging to the only thing he knows while the rest of his life crumbles around him. 2023’s The Iron Claw offers us a similar story, right down to the comeback for its lead.

Zac Efron may be fortunate enough not to have a tawdry past to overcome like Rourke, but he’s never really found his footing since leaving his teen heartthrob days behind. That said, thanks to complications from a broken jawbone, his face is radically different from the one we knew in High School Musical, even sparking gossip of plastic surgery gone wrong (another insult often lobbed at Rourke, though in his case it’s certainly true). But just like Rourke, his new jawline perfectly suits him in The Iron Claw, which may finally prove to be his breakthrough role as an adult, dramatic actor.

Writer/director Sean Durkin’s film tells the heartbreaking story of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty. Efron plays eldest son Kevin, who acts as caretaker and support for his three younger brothers, all of whom eventually join him in the ring. Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) as stern and punishing patriarch Fritz pushes the boys toward success and a coveted Heavyweight World Champion title while Kevin tries to keep his family from falling apart while hoping to make his wrestling dreams come true.

The Iron Claw is a tumble of body parts. Feet and legs and necks and hands, all dripping with sweat, tangle together to the rhythmic slap of the mat, and in some ways that’s how the film feels, too. It’s a collection of parts that never totally equal their sum.

Durkin’s script has us drifting from one event to the next as we follow the Von Erichs throughout the 1980s. Matches are lost, titles are won, babies are born, and all the while the brothers struggle between striving for their own wants and needs and sacrificing it all in the hopes of making their father happy. The only thing missing is the ability for the audience to feel the weight of these choices.

Too often scenes have us listening to characters talking about how they feel without ever letting us see it. The script also struggles with perspective, torn between showing Kevin’s POV alone and bringing us into the hearts and minds of all the boys. Its inability to choose a true focal point hampers the drama — despite a collection of stellar performances, with Efron’s rising above them all.

His new jawline, which when combined with the hulking physique required for the role, transforms him into a living depiction of He-Man that’s delightfully at odds with his persona’s inherent sweetness. His eyes spend the movie searching as if the way to make everything okay were somewhere hidden in the corner of the room. Because at the end of the day, that’s all Kevin really wants, perhaps even more than his father’s approval.

When Durkin’s camera zeroes in on these moments, that’s when his direction shines. The camerawork is especially kind to newcomer Stanley Simons. When the spotlight shines on him in closeups, he tells the entire story of Mike’s interior struggle against his desires and his father’s expectations with a glace here and a shoulder shrug there. They’re movements designed to escape his father’s eye and sparkle for the camera lens.

But while the cast lands their punches, The Iron Claw as a whole fails to do the same. Every emotional moment has the power to hit as hard as a body slam but instead lands like a flop onto a feather pillow — at least until the film’s final, heart-wrenching moments. Then, suddenly the family drama that’s been building up culminates in a scene of pure catharsis that’s only possible thanks to Efron’s skill making it an imperfect film that’s still well worth a watch.

The Iron Claw slams onto screens nationwide on December 22nd.

The Iron Claw Trailer: