This based-on-a-true-story tale of the cursed Von Erich family is as a tragedy of the highest form.

It chronicles the successes of this dynasty in the world of competitive professional wrestling, and the heartache that befall a family who believed their brood was doomed.

When the first young son dies at five-years-old, patriarch and industry titan Fritz comes to believe the only way to beat the family affliction is to put all his faith in God and wrestling, and teach his four remaining boys to do the same.

As the boys push to become World Heavyweight Champions in the early 1980s — egged on by the father who never achieved the title — their hubris and competitive nature between them threatens their legacy.

Zac Efron gives a career-best performance as front-runner Kevin, who must deal with his father’s shifting priorities when older brother and Olympian Kerry comes home. The High School Musical alum evokes more intensity and emotion in this role than his entire resume combined up to this point.

This ensemble also includes The Bear star Jeremy Allen White, indie darling Harris Dickinson, Emmy nominee Maura Tierney, and criminally-underrated character actor Holt McCallany. This group earned themselves a Best Ensemble award from the National Board of Review earlier this year.

Writer-director Sean Durkin has steadily created a resume that gets better with every effort, and his third film — from famed production house A24 — is not only an emotional rollercoaster, but one of my top three of the year.

5/5 Stars