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Efron is never not himself onscreen.
He has that in common with the greatest stars.
Its that boyish charisma that anchors the films tragedy.
It reminds us that beyond their physical powers and brawny exteriors, the Von Erich brothers were barely grown.
Efron embodies the crisis of a man whose innocence is exploited in gruesome, unimaginable ways.
The Iron Clawintroduces Kevin as hes climbing out of bed in his tighty whities.
At first, theres something joyous about his arrested development.
Kevin is thrilled by his own abilities like a kid whos switched bodies with Superman.
Its no wonder the eldest Von Erich brother gravitated so early to his fathers profession.
Being in the ring is the closest he can come to flying.
This fraught history seems to color the self-consciousness that Efron brings to the screen.
Kevin is knocked down yet another rank when David (Harris Dickinson) is initiated into the sport.
He stumbles through his lines.
But even before these tragedies, Kevin is paying the price of Fritzs emotional violence.
Physically impressive though he may be, Kevin cant help but act small.
The disconnect between Efrons hulking physique and his docility underscores the impotence of these masculine games.
Against reason, Kevin slowly pulls himself back into the ring, dragging his own body like a corpse.
EvenThe Fighter, another film about a toxic family mismanaging a rookies career, ends on a congratulatory note.
Yet with this innocence, so effortlessly conveyed by Efron, comes hope.
