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Movie Review: ‘Relay’
Riz Ahmed in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.

Opening in theaters August 22 is ‘Relay,’ directed by David Mackenzie and starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Matthew Maher, Jared Abrahamson, and Victor Garber.
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Related Article: Sylvester Stallone Out, Lily James in For New Reboot of 1990s Action Thriller ‘Cliffhanger’

Initial Thoughts

Lily James in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.

Featuring a terrific central performance from Riz Ahmed, ‘Relay’ is styled very much in the mold of classic paranoid thrillers from the 1970s like ‘The Parallax View’ and ‘The Conversation.’ It’s not quite as intense and expansive as those, and its third act falls back into a series of rote reveals and action beats, but for its first two-thirds, the film builds an impressive level of tension and dread – not to mention that its primary plot device is an ingenious hook for the story.

Story and Direction

Riz Ahmed in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.

Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a solitary fixer who helps whistleblowers – but not in the way you might expect. Instead of assisting them to expose the corporation they’ve been working for, Ash helps the would-be whistleblower (who may have second thoughts or is afraid) return whatever incriminating documents or information they have, in exchange for a substantial payout, a new life, and a promise to be left alone.

A former whistleblower himself, Ash employs a third-party relay service – a phone and text network ostensibly meant for people with hearing disabilities, and the most fascinating aspect of the movie – to ensure that his communications with his clients are anonymous, untraceable, and secure. Ash’s next case is a scientist named Sarah Grant (Lily James), who is being harassed by operatives of the biotech company for which she used to work. She has some devastating information on the company that she wants to give back, and Ash agrees to help her, with all their exchanges conducted through the relay service.

Ash also monitors his clients from afar – and sometimes from right next to them, since they don’t know who he is – and in the case of Sarah, he begins to develop an attraction that threatens the wall of protection that he’s carefully constructed around himself. Sarah begins to take interest in her silent benefactor as well, even though her former employer’s attack dogs – led by the ruthless Dawson (Sam Worthington) – are doing everything possible to destroy her or worse.

A scene from Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.

David Mackenzie, who directed the excellent ‘Hell or High Water’ in 2016, wrings tons of suspense out of ‘Relay’ for its first two-thirds, with the relay service creating a unique layer of separation between Ash and his clients that emphasizes both Ash’s paranoia and the danger of the work he does. Just as he channeled the classic Western in a modern setting for ‘Hell,’ Mackenzie invokes the thrillers of the ‘70s – right down to the gritty urban setting, in this case New York City – and lures you in as we watch Ash go through every meticulous detail of his business, wondering if and when he might finally slip up.

It’s only in the third act of Justin Piasecki’s script that ‘Relay’ begins to unravel, as a series of more conventional action beats, as well as a twist that you can sense coming about halfway through the movie, replace the movie’s slow-burn, simmering narrative with something resembling a more conventional action programmer. It’s not a fatal flaw but it takes the edge off ‘Relay’ just as the movie should be really catching fire.

Cast and Performances

Sam Worthington in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.

Riz Ahmed is an expert at underplaying – almost deliberately eschewing dialogue in favor of expressing himself through his eyes, physicality, and remarkable stillness. Just as he did in the excellent ‘Sound of Metal,’ in which he played a hearing-challenged musician, he makes Ash almost consciously non-verbal – this is a man whose past trauma has taught him to say as little as possible and avoid even speaking at all. Despite the walls Ash puts up, however, Ahmed’s subtle compelling work transmits the isolated man’s basic decency and the gradual return of his sense of righteousness.

Lily James remains one of the more appealing young British actresses working today, and she too generates both charisma and desperation as Sarah, but the fuzzier aspects of her background and some of her choices make the character frustrating at certain points. Sam Worthington delivers a rather standard if snarky villain in Dawson, while unfortunately the great Willa Fitzgerald – so astonishing in ‘Strange Darling’ – gets little to do as Worthington’s right-hand person.

Final Thoughts

Riz Ahmed in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.

The relatively low-key ‘Relay’ won’t get the big publicity push or elaborate marketing of even an average Hollywood tentpole, but it’s also the kind of movie that audiences claim they want more of – original, adult-oriented, intelligent, and character-driven. It might be a film that finds an audience later on streaming as a result, but it’s worth seeking out in theaters as a cinematic experience that doesn’t rely on IP to succeed. It’s not perfect and you may not walk out completely satisfied, but for the most part, ‘Relay’ gets its message across.

‘Relay’ receives a score of 70 out of 100.
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What is the plot of ‘Relay’?

Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a world class ‘ﬁxer’ who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten to ruin them. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client (Lily James) needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.

Who is in the cast of ‘Relay’?
- Riz Ahmed as Ash
- Lily James as Sarah Grant
- Sam Worthington as Dawson
- Willa Fitzgerald as Rosetti
- Matthew Maher as Hoffman
- Victor Garber as McVie
- Eisa Davis as Wash
- Jared Abrahamson as Ryan
Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’ on August 22, 2025. Credit: Bleecker Street.

List of Riz Ahmed Movies and TV Shows
- ‘Four Lions’ (2010)
- ‘Centurion’ (2010)
- ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ (2012)
- ‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)
- ‘The Night Of’ (2016)
- ‘Jason Bourne’ (2016)
- ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016)
- ‘The OA’ (2016)
- ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (2018)
- ‘Venom’ (2018)
- ‘Sound of Metal’ (2019)
- ‘Mogul Mowgli’ (2020)
- ‘Encounter’ (2021)
- ‘Nimona’ (2023)
- ‘Fingernails’ (2023)
- ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ (2025)
- ‘Relay’ (2025)
Buy Tickets: ‘Relay’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Riz Ahmed Movies on Amazon
August 21, 2025
‘Finally Dawn’ Exclusive Interview: Joe Keery
Joe Keery in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.

Opening in theaters on July 18th is the new Italian movie ‘Finally Dawn’, which was directed by Saverio Costanzo (‘Hungry Hearts’), and stars Lily James (‘Cinderella’), Willem Dafoe (‘Poor Things’), Joe Keery (‘Stranger Things’), and Rachel Sennott (‘Saturday Night’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Joe Keery about his work on ‘Finally Dawn’, how he got the role, learning Italian, shooting at Cinecittà Studios, working with Willem Dafoe, and collaborating with director Saverio Costanzo, as well as shooting the final season of ‘Stranger Things’ and his memories of working on the series.

Related Article: Willem Dafoe Talks ‘Inside’

(L to R) Joe Keery and Lily James in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about the audition process and how you got cast in the film?

Joe Keery: I don’t really know the history of the movie before me. Saverio had maybe thought of me for the job and there was a conflict. So, I didn’t even see it. They sort of passed on me, maybe just due to scheduling stuff. I think maybe because of the show (‘Stranger Things’). Then something changed, and I freed up after they were looking for somebody for a while. I read it, and thought it was fantastic. It was an easy “yes” for me. Saverio’s other work is beautiful. The script was amazing. And shooting in Rome, what an amazing opportunity.

MF: How was your Italian before making the film and was it difficult learning the language for this role?

JK: Yeah, I was working a little overtime in that regard. It’s funny. My sister lived in Rome at this time. She ended up working on the film as well. So, the two of us were doing a little Duolingo between us. She was good though. I had some work to do, but she was good. I picked up some stuff though.

Joe Keery and Lily James in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.

MF: What was it like collaborating with director Saverio Costanzo on set?

JK: Great. I mean, he’s got a lot of trust, I think, in his actors. But he also isn’t afraid to challenge you, I think. It’s always like there’s a cross section between the way that you see a character and maybe the director sees the character. Sometimes it’s good if that Venn diagram is really connected, but sometimes it’s also good if it’s not. I’d say we were kind of right in the middle where we were kind of both pushing each other in interesting ways and taking the character. He also just made some changes once I kind of came around. I think we both talked about the character and adjusted it as the movie was happening. That’s one of his strengths, I think, is that he’s able to take the different inputs and shape them to what will best fit the film. I think he did that across the board. He’s such a great guy to work with. It was an enjoyable experience on set.

MF: You play an actor in the film and when we first meet him, he is playing another character in the movie within the movie. What was it like playing a character that is playing another character?

JK: You know, I kind of tried to not honestly think too hard about it, I guess. You go down the rabbit hole of thinking about all this different stuff. Then at a certain point you’re like, “Well, now it’s time to actually do it.” So, you just sort of put all your work aside and kind of get into it. But I really liked that dynamic within the movie. The meta dynamic of kind of bouncing in between what is real, what’s a movie, and what’s going on. That was exciting for me personally.

Rachel Sennott in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.

MF: You also got to shoot at Cinecittà Studios in Italy where some legendary films were made. What was that experience like for you?

JK: Absolutely. I think shooting at Cinecittà was great because some of the reference movies that I watched beforehand, they were filmed on the back lot there. That’s where they did these things. So, the fact that we’re paying homage to that period, and we are making a movie about it, it’s just perfect. I think everybody on set was just sort of blown away by that. Then, also we were shooting on the Spanish Steps. That’s ridiculous. I’m not in that scene when she’s walking down the steps. But one of my first days on that film was, it was the night shot at the beginning of the movie when we’re coming down the steps. You know, it’s World War II. Then as the sun was rising, we switch over and we do Rebecca’s thing at the end of the movie, so we stuck around. Just watching Rebecca come down those stairs, and it’s totally empty, and the city’s waking up, and there’s no tourists. I mean, it was incredible. Nobody gets that experience. You really don’t get to experience that unless you’re very lucky.

MF: Just to follow up, what were some of the films you watched for inspiration before shooting this movie?

JK: Obviously, I think there’s a fair amount of ‘8 ½’ in this film. ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘Cleopatra’ were too. I know I’ve watched the film ‘Cleopatra’, just based on that big old scene that we do with me and Lily, and Hafþór (Júlíus Björnsson) and stuff. Those are the three that come to mind off the top of my head.

Willem Dafoe in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.

MF: What was it like working with actress Rebecca Antonaci?

JK: I mean, I think she’s extremely talented. Working with her on set, I feel like there’s so much of the movie where she has no dialogue. But she, for me, was the most captivating part of the film, just to watch her experience this world and the emotions that she’s able to convey just through one look. It’s unbelievable. She’s extremely talented. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

MF: Were you intimidated to work opposite the great Willem Dafoe?

JK: Yeah, definitely. I mean, he is like singular. He’s one of the great working actors, I’d say. It’s very clear to me. I think he’s just like a lover of acting. To me, it just seems like he really loves what he does, and he’s very passionate about it, and cares very deeply, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. We were all making this movie together. There’s no “holier than thou” thing going on. He’s just a real person. So, it makes a lot of sense to me why he’s had the career that he’s had.

Joe Keery as Steve Harrington in ‘Stranger Things’. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.

MF: Finally, ‘Stranger Things’ will be ending soon. What was it like filming the final season and what memories will you take with you from working on the show?

JK: Well, for the whole thing? I mean, I don’t think I can pick a favorite single memory. There are a lot of great working memories in all these amazing sequences that we got to film. The end of season 1 sticks out. The underwater stuff sticks out to me in season 4. Working in the mall. But then, mostly I’ll just remember the amount of time that I spent with all these people and the deep connection that we have. Yeah, that’s really what I’m going to take away more than anything else, is that.

Editorial Note: James White conducted this interview and contributed to this article.
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What is the plot of ‘Finally Dawn’?

A young Roman woman (Lily James) during the 1950s is on the verge of becoming engaged to a man. She goes to Cinecittà to do an audition as an extra and is thrust into this almost infinite night during which she discovers herself.

Who is in the cast of ‘Finally Dawn’?
- Lily James as Josephine Esperanto
- Willem Dafoe as Rufus Priori
- Joe Keery as Sean Lockwood
- Rachel Sennott as Nan Roth
- Rebecca Antonaci as Mimosa
- Enzo Casertano as Rinaldo
- Michele Bravi as Singer en travesti
‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.

List of Joe Keery Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Fargo‘ (2014 – 2024)
- ‘Stranger Things‘ (2016 – 2022)
- ‘No Activity‘ (2017 – 2021)
- ‘Molly’s Game‘ (2018)
- ‘After Everything‘ (2018)
- ‘Slice‘ (2018)
- ‘Free Guy‘ (2021)
- ‘Marmalade‘ (2024)
- ‘Finally Dawn‘ (2025)
Buy Joe Keery Movies on Amazon
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July 29, 2025
‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’ Set for January 2027
2016’s ‘The Angry Birds Movie’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Preview:
- Paramount has snatched up the ‘Angry Birds’ movie franchise from Sony.
- Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad and Danny McBride are back to lend their voices.
- ‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’ will be out on January 29th, 2027.
After flinging two movies at theaters in 2016 and 2019, it appears that Sony is ready to let go of the ‘Angry Birds’ franchise.

While it has made more than half a billion dollars so far with ‘The Angry Birds Movie’ and ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2,’ the company is no longer in charge of the franchise, which adapts the popular Rovio video game titles.

Paramount Pictures has now announced that it will be distributing the movies going forward, and has set ‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’ for release in a couple of years.
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It’s an interesting gamble, since ‘Angry Birds’ as a game doesn’t have quite the same cultural cachet as other titles –– its younger audience has moved on to others such as ‘Minecraft’ and ‘Fortnite.’

But as ‘Minecraft’ has just proved, video game movies can still do big business at the box office, and Paramount is clearly hoping that ‘Angry Birds’ will spawn the same sort of success as enjoyed by its own ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ franchise.

Just in case you’re not sure what we’re talking about…

What is the ‘Angry Birds’ franchise?

2016’s ‘The Angry Birds Movie’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Jaakko Iisalo created the original game for Rovio Entertainment in 2009, which focuses on the titular flock of colorful angry birds who try to save their eggs from green-colored pigs.

Players look to take down the pigs and their structures by flinging the birds –– who have different destructive capabilities –– at the pigs via slingshots. Physics and comedy are intertwined in the games, which have grown into a series.

The original title also spawned a huge multimedia franchise of products and cartoons and SEGA acquired Rovio in 2023 (which might point to why Paramount is now involved, since SEGA also makes the ‘Sonic’ games and co-produces the movies).

‘The Angry Birds Movie’ featured the voices of Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon, Sean Penn, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Bill Hader, and Peter Dinklage.

The film is focused on Red (Sudeikis), an outcast in an island of anthropomorphic flightless birds, as he suspects a newly arrived crew of pigs led by Leonard (Hader) of plotting an evil plan, and attempts to put a stop to them with the help of his newfound friends Chuck (Gad) and Bomb (McBride).

Sequel ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2’ saw newcomers Leslie Jones, Rachel Bloom, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown and Eugenio Derbez joining the ensemble voice cast.
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In the story, the birds are forced to team up with the pigs to stop Eagle Island’s leader from destroying both of their islands.

Sudeikis, Gad, Bloom and McBride are all back for the third, with newcomers this time including Emma Myers, Keke Palmer, Tim Robinson, Lily James, Marcello Hernandez, Walker Scobell, Sam Richardson, Anna Cathcart, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Nikki Glaser, James Austin Johnson and Psalm West.

Plot details have not been released, but we can guess it’ll feature more conflict between our feathered friends and either the pigs or some new threat.

The new movie will come from director John Rice (who worked on ‘The Angry Birds Movie’) and writer Thurop Van Orman, who contributed to the script for ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2.’

And composer Heitor Pereiram, who scored the last two movies, is also back for the new one.

Related Article: ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Exclusive Interviews

‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’: The Backers Talk

2016’s ‘The Angry Birds Movie’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

As with any big release for a franchise film, especially with new owners, there was of course the statements of excitement from the producers and studio.

Here’s producer John Cohen:

“We’re very excited to be partnering with Paramount Pictures and extremely proud of our incredible cast. Not only do we have Jason, Josh, Rachel and Danny returning to voice their fantastic characters, but they’re surrounded by an all-star ensemble of comedic talent. These are some of the funniest people out there today, and we’re so thrilled to have them all on board.”

And this was the statement from Paramount president of worldwide marketing and distribution Marc Weinstock:

“Angry Birds transcends mediums and has been embraced and celebrated the world over. We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with SEGA/Rovio and these other great partners to bring this latest instalment, featuring an incredible voice cast, to big screens everywhere.”

This came from Flywheel Media boss Don McGregor:

“We’re thrilled to announce that our first theatrical distribution partnership is with Paramount Pictures. As a film production company focused on bringing the best family movies to global audiences, we couldn’t have a better start than ‘The Angry Birds Movie 3.’ ”

Finally, here’s Rovio’s Alex Pelletier-Normand:

“The Angry Birds brand has demonstrated remarkable versatility, evolving from a global mobile gaming phenomenon to licensed products, animation, and a thriving cinematic franchise. It has been a deeply collaborative effort to create a film that will resonate with the millions who interact with our catalog of games and products every day. We are confident that with this talented team at the helm, ‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’ will delight longtime fans and create new fans in those discovering our flock for the first time.”

When will ‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’ be in theaters?

Paramount’s announcement includes word that the new movie will be on screens on January 29th, 2027.

2016’s ‘The Angry Birds Movie’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

List of Movies in the ‘Angry Birds’ Franchise:
- ‘The Angry Birds Movie‘ (2016)
- ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2‘ (2019)
Buy ‘The Angry Birds’ Movies On Amazon
April 10, 2025
Lily James and Pierce Brosnan to Star in ‘Cliffhanger’ Reboot
Lily James in ‘Cliffhanger’. Photo: Rocket Science.

Preview:
- Lily James and Pierce Brosnan is starring in a new version of ‘Cliffhanger.’
- Sylvester Stallone is no longer aboard.
- Jaume Collet-Serra is taking over directing.
Back in May of last year, it appeared that the long-gestating reboot of ‘Cliffhanger’ was ready to be born instead as a sequel to the 1993 original, with star Sylvester Stallone pulling on his climbing gear for a return as Gabe Walker.
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Yet as these things always seem to do, the project has since evolved back into more of a reboot, with Stallone dropping out (hopefully not down a giant cliff) and the storyline switching to characters played by Lily James and Pierce Brosnan.

And there have also been some changes behind the camera, too.

What’s the story of this new ‘Cliffhanger’?

Lily James on the set of ‘Cliffhanger’. Photo: Rocket Science.

The first change beyond the stars for the movie is in the script, which is based on a story by Ana Lily Amirpour (who was involved with the film back in another incarnation in 2019). Variety has heard it described as a father-daughter take on ‘Die Hard.’

Brosnan will play seasoned mountaineer Ray Cooper, who operates a luxury chalet in the Dolomites with daughter Sydney.

During a weekend trip with a billionaire’s son, they are targeted by a gang of kidnappers. Ray’s other daughter Naomi (James), still haunted by a past climbing accident, witnesses the attack and escapes. To save her family, she must confront her fears and fight for survival.

Related Article: Sylvester Stallone is Ready to Cling to Mountains Again for a New ‘Cliffhanger’

Who else is in the new ‘Cliffhanger’?

Nell Tiger Free Talks ‘The First Omen’.

The cast for the new movie also includes ‘The First Omen’s Nell Tiger Free, ‘Passages’ Franz Rogowski, Shubham Saraf of ‘Shantaram,’ ‘Franklin’ actor Assaad Bouab, ‘Poor Things’ performer Suzy Bemba and Bruno Gouery from ‘Emily in Paris.’

Who is working on the new ‘Cliffhanger’ movie?

(L to R) Director Jaume Collet-Serra and Dwayne Johnson on the set of New Line Cinema’s action adventure ‘Black Adam,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Frank Masi. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

While Ric Roman Waugh was aboard to direct the film when Sly was still aboard, the reins have now passed to ‘Non-Stop’s Jaume Collet-Serra, with the producing team of Rocket Science still aboard after all these different iterations.

Collet-Serra is busy rolling cameras on the movie now in Austria and offered up this statement:

“Shooting our movie on location in the Dolomites using large format cameras was imperative for us to show the scope and scale of the story we’re telling. We’re going to bring the audience a truly thrilling and visceral, premium theatrical experience. Lily in particular has gone above and beyond for the role, putting in real training and learning to climb. Her dedication has allowed us to capture some incredible shots we couldn’t have achieved otherwise, and the whole crew is blown away by her commitment.”

When will the new ‘Cliffhanger’ dangle into theaters?

Rocket Science will be offering domestic distribution rights to the movie, with CAA Media selling international.

Which is a longwinded way of saying that there is no studio aboard yet, so we’ll have to wait for any release date details. But the fact remains that the movie shooting at all is a big step forward.

(L to R) Lily James and Richard Madden in ‘Cinderella’. Photo: Walt Disney Studios.

List of Lily James Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Downton Abbey‘ (2010 – 2015)
- ‘Wrath of the Titans‘ (2012)
- ‘Cinderella‘ (2015)
- ‘Burnt‘ (2015)
- ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies‘ (2016)
- ‘Baby Driver‘ (2017)
- ‘Darkest Hour‘ (2017)
- ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again‘ (2018)
- ‘Yesterday‘ (2019)
- ‘The Pursuit of Love‘ (2021)
- ‘Pam & Tommy‘ (2022)
- ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It?‘ (2023)
- ‘The Iron Claw‘ (2023)
- ‘Greedy People‘ (2024)
Buy Lily James Movies On Amazon
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November 1, 2024
Movie Review: ‘The Iron Claw’
(L to R) Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich, Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich, and Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.

In theaters on December 22nd, ‘The Iron Claw’ is the new film from Sean Durkin, who previously made 2011’s ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ and ‘The Nest’ which was released in 2020.

This is by some margin his best film so far, getting to grips with a shocking true life story that will be intimately familiar to wrestling and sports fans, but is something to discover for everyone else.

Anchored by a great performance from Zac Efron, ‘The Iron Claw’ is surely destined to enter the awards race.

Does ‘The Iron Claw’ grip you?

(Right) Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.

Though it could potentially fall victim to those who see it as a Wikipedia entry snapshot of history for the Von Erich brothers and their seemingly cursed household, this is in fact a dramatic and –– because of the subject matter –– sometimes traumatic tale of a wrestling dynasty whose life was marked by a blend of success and (there’s no way to really get around it) suicide and other tragic deaths.

But while the subject matter is challenging (and heartrending at times), it’s delivered with such grace and style that it’s easy appreciate the lengths to which Durkin and his team go to sensitively depict the tale. And to applaud him for rounding up some of the best young actors of the moment to bring the brothers to life. Even if you’re not a wrestling fan, there’s a good chance you’ll be transfixed by this one, which has real power and energy, grit and an eye for the detail of the time.

Related Article: Roger Ross Williams Talks ‘Cassandro’ and Gael García Bernal’s Performance

‘The Iron Claw’: Script and Direction

(L to R) Zac Efron and director Sean Durkin on the set of ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.

By keeping the focus on the family, Durkin’s screenplay is able to dig out real feeling and drama from the story, especially in how the patriarch, Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) channels his frustrations with his own career through his sons.

And while the focus is on Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron), there is ample opportunity for the other characters to shine, mapping out the details with care and humanity.

On the directing side of things, he evokes the 1980s aesthetic with a grimy reality, and you can feel the sweat dripping off the screen in close-up as the brothers ply their trade. And, like the script, it’s the little details that matter –– from the family’s home that quickly gives you an insight into their parents (sports memorabilia and guns for the father, religious iconography for the mother, played by Maura Tierney).

(L to R) Maura Tierney as Doris Von Erich, Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich, Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich, Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich and Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.

Durkin’s keen eye for performance allows his cast to make the most of naturalistic roles and characters that let them impress without ever feeling showy (except when needed in the ring). The evocation of the world of 1980s wrestling at levels lower than the World Wrestling Federation (as it was then) is utterly convincing.

If there’s one moment that pushes things too far, it’s a fantastical moment towards the end which features several deceased family members meeting up in an idyllic river/dock take on the River Styx (even down to one leaving coins on the boat). In contrast to the stark reality of the rest of the movie, this stab at framing the story as a Greek tragedy is one that doesn’t ring as true as the rest.

‘The Iron Claw’: Performances

(L to R) Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich and Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.

There was a time when the phrase “Zac Efron: potential Oscar contender” might have sounded ludicrous. But with ‘The Iron Claw’, he shows that the work he’s been putting in of late has been paying off. As Kevin Von Erich, the steely-eyed anchor for the brothers in the family, he’s a revelation; swole as a He-Man action figure, but never more human than he is here.

Kevin is a role ripe for any actor to tackle, a dedicated brother who sees his career ambitions shrink due to bad fortunes and the capricious nature of his father’s focus. He is, by turns, delighted, proud, angry, bitter and utterly devastated.

It certainly helps that Kevin (the only survivor among the brothers) is a completely compelling character whose relationship with his brothers moves the story along and gives it emotional focus. He’s helped in that endeavor by Lily James as his wife Pam. Though James only has a few scenes to make a mark, she plays them to the hilt, striking in both moments of joy and sadness.

Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.

Yet though it is mostly certainly Efron’s film, everyone in the movie offers up a fantastic performance. Chief among them are the brothers –– Jeremy Allen White, who has been receiving the best notices of his career for TV’s ‘The Bear’ is watchable as the athletic Kerry, who has no wrestling ambitions at first, but is pressed into service by their father and ends up more successful than Kevin. He suffers brutally at the fickle hand of fate, and White does a lot with the part.

Elsewhere, we have Harrison Dickinson and Stanley Simons, the former putting in another superb turn and the latter a real discovery having mostly acted in shorts and smaller indies.

And the twin forces pulling at the family from above –– McCallany all steel and spit as the father, while Tierney finds moments of quiet in which to truly bring Doris Von Erich to life.

‘The Iron Claw’: Final Thoughts

(L to R) Lily James as Pam Adkisson and Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.

Carefully walking the line between punishing history film and believably emotional family drama, ‘The Iron Claw’ is a triumph in itself. A minor misstep here and there and some trims to the actual story (hard as it might be to believe if you don’t know the history, there was yet another brother who killed themselves) are no barrier to this being one of the more impressive movies of the year.

You don’t need to know a thing about the wrestling world to appreciate the care and artistry, or to feel for a family group torn apart by a truly heartbreaking run of bad luck.

‘The Iron Claw’ receives 9 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘The Iron Claw’?

‘The Iron Claw’ is inspired by the true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.

Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach (Holt McCallany), the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

Who else is in ‘The Iron Claw?

The cast for the film includes Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons, Maura Tierney and Lily James.

(L to R) Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich and Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.

Other Movies Similar to ‘The Iron Claw’:
- ‘Rocky‘ (1976)
- ‘Vision Quest‘ (1985)
- ‘No Holds Barred‘ (1989)
- ‘Ready to Rumble‘ (2000)
- ‘The Wrestler‘ (2008)
- ‘Legendary‘ (2010)
- ‘Here Comes the Boom‘ (2012)
- ‘Creed‘ (2015)
- ‘Foxcatcher‘ (2015)
- ‘Fighting with My Family‘ (2019)
- ‘Cassandro‘ (2023)
Buy Tickets: ‘The Iron Claw’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Zac Efron Movies On Amazon
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December 12, 2023
Writer/Director Emily Mortimer talks ‘The Pursuit of Love’

Emily Mortimer, writer, director, and co-star in ‘The Pursuit of Love’

Based on the novel by Nancy Mitford, ‘The Pursuit of Love’ tells the story of two upper-class British cousins in the years between the two World Wars. The cousins, Linda and Fanny, are played by Lily James and Emily Beecham, and the series was adapted and directed by Emily Mortimer. Mortimer also co-stars as ‘The Bolter,’ Fanny’s notorious mother, who has a tendency to duck out of any romantic relationship the moment she gets bored. Mortimer recently spoke to us about her new Amazon Prime series.
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Moviefone: How did end up both writing and directing this?

Emily Mortimer: So it was sort of a bona fide sort of job offer when I was offered the task of making a pilot on spec for the show by some producers, and they had already Lily James attached, and I had read the book as a teenager. I hadn’t read it since, but I loved it. I remember loving it. I thought to myself, do I really want to add another sort of costume drama with people in costumes in a sort of big house in England to the world? But then I read it again, and I thought, no, this is a story that deserves to be told. I felt like there was something very fresh and original and amazing about the tone and about Nancy Mitford’s voice. And so I set about writing it, and it got commissioned, and the BBC pitched up and then Amazon came on.

And then we had to find a director and I hadn’t thought about directing it, although I realized retrospectively that I had been very bossy in my stage directions about sort of where the camera was going to go and what music should be on. But it was Lily James, who plays Linda, who said that she thought I should direct it. And the producers very much needed her to be attached to the project, so they were much more open to the suggestion that they would have been if it had just been me. And I found myself in the position of sort of a door having opened for me and the choice was either to walk through it or to not, and I walked through it. And I’m so pleased I did because I loved the experience.

MF: I’m so glad you mentioned the camera direction and the music choices in the script that you were adapting because I was going to ask who picked the music. The music choices are exquisite, and you have excellent taste. I love that you dropped The Meters in at the beginning of that second episode, the Cissy Strut was so good!

Mortimer: Thank you.

MF: Do you have those songs in mind as you’re writing the script?

Mortimer: I had a few in mind. I mean, it grew as I approached the moment to start making the show. And not a lot of them, I would say half of them I knew before I started directing the show and half of them, or maybe a third of them, came afterwards. But I had a long playlist, which most of the songs that you hear in the show now are on. And yeah, it was just a long process, but it was a really fun one, and I was helped in it by my brother-in-law George Vjestica who’s a member of The Bad Seeds, he’s in the band, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds.

And Clint Mansell, the composer, did the composing and the score is beautiful. And George helped me kind of curate these tracks. And when the lockdown came I was about to start shooting and then I had two months of just nothing where I had a long time to think about the music. And that was in those two months in this kind of hiatus before we picked up again, that I really honed in on the music choices and found most of the music that ended up being in the show.

MF: So we’ve not only learned that Emily Mortimer is a great director on her first time out, but she’s got really great taste in music! And your casting choices are great in this, I love Dominic West and I can’t help but think that there was probably a lot of direction to be more shouty as Uncle Matthew.

Mortimer: Yes, that’s true, there was that direction. Yeah. Be really, really obnoxious and cross and scary.

MF: How did you end up casting Shazad Latif? He’s great in this, but it feels a little against type for him to be playing Fanny’s husband.

Mortimer: Yes, he’s wonderful, and I feel very grateful to him. And I think it was a challenging part because he’s got to be very buttoned up and conventional, and he’s the OCD character. He doesn’t have long scenes to convey this character, and yet he does it so economically. And you do because he’s ultimately a very kind of charismatic and charming person, Shazad. And he has that power, but he’s hiding it in this. And certainly through a lot of this characterization of Alfred. But yet, I think that there’s something very strong and intense about his presence, nonetheless. And so you root for him, and you root for their marriage. And I think he’s an incredible performer, I think is a wonderful performance. It’s very economic performance, but it has depth somehow. And even though he doesn’t really understand what the hell Fannie’s on about most of the time you feel he’s trying, and you really, you love him, and you root for that marriage.

MF: There’s one particular performer that we maybe don’t get enough screen time from, that comes in and out as this character, The Bolter. How did you end up playing that one? Because she comes in and just lays down these bits and then disappears, and it’s hilarious.

Mortimer: I felt, if I’m going to write and direct this thing, I might as well give myself a good pop because it’s hard enough to get work as an actress. If you’re going to go through all the trouble of writing something and directing it, then you might as well give yourself a part. But I then regretted that decision very quickly. In the run-up to the shoot, I was terrified. And I felt I just wanted to get out of being The Bolter. I was thinking, “this is just one, two things too many.” And I tried to fire myself on numerous occasions. I kept ringing up the producers and saying, you’ve got to sack Emily as The Bolter, she can’t do it, she’s far too busy, she’s over extended, and they wouldn’t let me.

But I’m really pleased I did, and I really did enjoy it. I mean, it was hell at the time, but The Bolter. I just love how unapologetic she is. She’s an absurd creature, she’s an awful creature in a way, but it was very liberating for me. I’m someone who’s very naturally very apologetic and very aware of my own shame, and The Bolter is shameless and completely unapologetic. And so it was liberating for me to get to play her and I really enjoyed it.

MF: Is it hard to keep from judging The Bolter, or even Linda, when Linda all but abandons he daughter?

Mortimer: It was really important to me that this business of mothering and bad mothering was explored in a way that was forgiving. I mean, it’s not like they get away with it completely, at all, but I think that it’s a taboo subject and I think that there’s huge pressure, mainly on women of course, but on men too. But just because for centuries, women have been the caretakers of children, and we still have this burden on us, mainly the kind of emotional happiness of the children feels more… I think women feel more personally responsible still then men, although it’s definitely changing. And I wanted to explore the idea that there’ve been centuries of very bad fathers that nobody’s ever raised an eyebrow at, but if you’re a bad mother, it’s tantamount to being a very bad person.

And I think it’s worth exploring that notion. Well, what it is to be a bad mother, what does that mean? What do we mean when we say that? And is there a way of understanding why a woman, especially at that time, might’ve felt that the only way that she was going to be able to escape a very unhappy situation, a very unhappy marriage, was to have to leave her child. And is there a way in which we can bring ourselves to at least understand it, maybe not forgive it, but at least understand it. So it felt really important to me that that was investigated and as in a forgiving and honest way as possible. Obviously, I don’t hold up those characters as great mothering role models, but they’re good for other reasons.

MF: So often you get to see a male character wander off and abandon his family and just be a gadabout, ne’er-do-well. And the series is, if not okay with Linda and Bolter doing that, they at least don’t get punished for that specifically.

Mortimer: Yes, which they would in pretty much any other, even any other contemporary thing. I think it, you have to like people, it’s very difficult to write a female character that isn’t very nice to their children. That is also something that you expect the audience to feel sympathy for. And, I don’t know whether the line is still in there, it’s not in the book, I put it in there, but it was a line where she says, look at it Odysseus. He went off on his noble journey and 3000 years later, we’re still singing about him, nobody questioned that he left his children behind, nobody worries. And that’s the question you get asked as an actress and a performer all the time, how do you deal with leaving your children behind? And of course it’s a nightmare and of course it’s a very complicated issue. But men never even get asked that question.

‘The Pursuit of Love’ is now available on Amazon Prime.

August 1, 2021
Danny Boyle’s ‘Yesterday’ Trailer Imagines a World Without the Beatles

Universal

Imagine all the people … not remembering the Beatles. Except for one guy, who’s about to become a superstar thanks to their music.

That’s the premise of Danny Boyle’s upcoming musical dramedy, “Yesterday.” As the trailer lays out, Jack (Himesh Patel) is an struggling singer-songwriter who wakes up after an accident to discover the Beatles never existed.

But he remembers all of their hit songs and starts to pass them off as his own. But Jack’s skyrocketing fame threatens his friendship with the person who always believed in him, Ellie (Lily James).

The script comes from Richard Curtis (“Love, Actually”). Boyle, meanwhile, took on this project after exiting “Bond 25.”

Judging by the trailer, the movie looks like a fun, funny, fizzy combination of Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” and Curtis’ numerous romantic comedies, with Beatles music thrown in for good measure. This could be the sleeper hit of the summer.

“Yesterday” opens in theaters June 25.

February 12, 2019
Tessa Thompson Falls Into Selling Drugs in ‘Little Woods’ Trailer

Neon/YouTube

Life is full of challenges in the new “Little Woods” preview.

The film starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James is due out in April, and in the meantime, Neon has released the official trailer. The video shows the two actresses as sisters Ollie (Thompson) and Deb (James), who find themselves in a dire financial situation. When their mother dies, they’re on the brink of losing their home, so Ollie, a reformed drug runner, gets back into dealing.

It is risky, of course, as the trailer shows.

“Can you do this without getting caught?” Deb asks her at one point.

Ollie at first tells her sister she’s sure, but then when pressed, she admits, “Of course not.”

Watch below.

The film is written and directed by Nia DaCosta. The film premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and is now slated for a theatrical release.

“Little Woods” opens in select cities on April 19.

January 14, 2019
Ed Sheeran in Talks for Danny Boyle’s Beatles Musical Comedy

Ed Sheeran is not done with on-screen projects after his ill-received “Game of Thrones” cameo. This one seems more up his alley anyway. It’s certainly a trippy premise, if the news from the Daily Mail can be believed.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Sheeran is in talks to appear in a new comedy written by Richard Curtis and directed by Danny Boyle. The tentative title is “All You Need Is Love,” about a man who wakes up one day and finds he’s the only person who can remember the songs of the Beatles. He’ll reportedly appear on screen and write new music for the movie, which will also feature Beatles songs.

Here’s some Ed love from “a source close to Working Title,” the studio making the film:

“Everything Ed touches turns to gold. He is the biggest hit-maker on the planet. If anyone can make a film about the Beatles songs even better musically, it’s him.”

Deadline was more reserved on the news, just confirming that Sheeran was “in talks to make an appearance in Danny Boyle’s upcoming music-themed comedy movie.” They said the plot was being kept under wraps, and they didn’t know if Sheeran would contribute to the score.

It’s not even clear if he would be the character who wakes up remembering Beatles songs, or if he’d just appear in the movie and someone else would have that role.

Lily James (“Cinderella,” “Baby Driver”) is attached to star, alongside Himesh Patel (“Eastenders”). Kate McKinnon (“SNL”) is said to be in talks too, Deadline reported, with filming scheduled for this summer.

Sheeran previously appeared in “Bridget Jones’ Baby,” “Undateable,” “The Simpsons,” “The Bastard Executioner,” and “Home and Away.” He also played a Lannister soldier last season on “Game of Thrones” and was a distraction to many viewers. Sorry, but he was.

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April 16, 2018
‘Baby Driver’ Stars Eiza Gonzalez and Lily James Really Love Their Disney Tunes

“Baby Driver” runs as much on non-stop music as it does on gasoline, with getaway driver Ansel Elgort racing away from crime scenes while falling in love with waitress Lily James to his personal soundtrack blasting in his iPod earbuds.

Which had Made in Hollywood reporter Kylie Erica Mar wondering what the stars listen to in their own cars.

“I actually love the Disney music,” says James, who gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up from costar Eiza Gonzalez, who plays part of a husband-and-wife heist team with Jon Hamm.

“I was going to say the same thing: ‘Frozen.’ I’m definitely like, ‘Let it go!’” says Gonzalez, who adds that her favorite, though, is “Little Mermaid.”

But if they were to come up with a soundtrack reflecting their experience shooting this high-octane car chase/romance mashup, they would stick to the movie’s eclectic selection of music from artists including Simon and Garfunkel and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

“The soundtrack in this film is so flawless and killer that I couldn’t pick another song other than what would exist in the film,” says James. “It’s just so perfect.”
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June 27, 2017