Passes the Bechdel test

The Iron Claw

Name: The Iron Claw
Released: 2023

2023. Directed by Sean Durkin, written by Sean Durkin.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
4 women characters. 4 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 2 scenes out of 138.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3, though someone marked that rating as dubious.

The film

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, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

Released: 22 Dec 2023
Genres: Biography, Drama, Sport
Rated: R
IMDb: 7.5 / 10
Metascore: 73 / 100
Awards: 4 wins & 42 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

Women
Men
Not in the cast list
Bigger name, more lines

Kevin 161 lines, man
Fritz 90 lines, man
Pam 58 lines, woman
Kerry 56 lines, man
Doris 36 lines, woman
David 31 lines, man
Mike 23 lines, man
Bill Mercer 16 lines, man
Ring Announcer 9 lines, man
Son 5 lines, man

Full cast, 38 people

Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich
Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich
Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich
Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich
Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich
Maura Tierney as Doris Von Erich
Lily James as Pam
Grady Wilson as Young Kevin
Valentine Newcomer as Young David
Scott Innes as Ring Announcer
Chavo Guerrero Jr. as The Sheik
Garrett Hammond as Sportatorium Referee #1
Michael Harney as Bill Mercer
Jullian Dulce Vida as Sound Man
Cazzey Louis Cereghino as Bruiser Brody
Ryan Nemeth as Gino Hernandez
Kevin Anton as Harley Race
Michael Papajohn as Olympic Coach
Brady Pierce as The Fabulous Freebirds
Silas Mason as The Fabulous Freebirds
Devin Imbraguglio as The Fabulous Freebirds
James Beard as Sportatorium Referee #2
Kristina Kingston as Teller
Brian Hite as Sportatorium Referee #3
Jim Gleason as Doctor
Maxwell Jacob Friedman as Lance
Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Ric Flair
Leo Franich as Ross Adkisson
Sam Franich as Marshall Adkisson
Chelsea Edmundson as Tania
Romeo Miloro Newcomer as Jack, Jr.
Terry J. Nelson as Jerry
Cassidy O'Reilly as Training Partner (uncredited)
Brett Beoubay as Fritz's Friend (uncredited)
Mike Dell as 1950s Referee (uncredited)
Ernest Marsh as Cowboy (uncredited)
Dane Alexander Peplinski as Photographer (uncredited)
Ronnie Yelverton as Wrestling Fan (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 2% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 138

Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.

Show the numbers

Scenes	Women's lines	Men's lines
1 to 3	0	0
4 to 6	2	7
7 to 9	6	8
10 to 12	0	1
13 to 15	0	8
16 to 18	4	12
19 to 21	4	4
22 to 24	0	7
25 to 27	0	13
28 to 30	10	20
31 to 33	16	34
34 to 36	0	7
37 to 39	0	11
40 to 42	0	0
43 to 45	0	7
46 to 48	11	23
49 to 51	5	11
52 to 54	0	0
55 to 57	0	0
58 to 60	0	0
61 to 63	0	0
64 to 66	0	0
67 to 69	0	0
70 to 72	0	0
73 to 75	0	19
76 to 78	0	21
79 to 81	3	8
82 to 84	0	2
85 to 87	2	10
88 to 90	0	1
91 to 93	0	9
94 to 96	5	7
97 to 99	4	10
100 to 102	3	10
103 to 105	0	0
106 to 108	4	4
109 to 111	0	9
112 to 114	3	0
115 to 117	6	4
118 to 120	0	13
121 to 123	2	3
124 to 126	0	10
127 to 129	4	65
130 to 132	0	6
133 to 135	0	12
136 to 138	5	15

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: the passing scenes

The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.

TELLER: Let me update it, I'll be right back. PAM: You sure you want to do that?

PAM: Doris, honey, we should go. DORIS: I can't put it on, everyone will recognize it, I can't, I can't. I need a new dress. PAM: Honey, people here love you, they don't care. We all love you Doris. Come on.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 19 are women's.

99 lines from women, 411 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

4 women and 24 men in the cast. 4 women and 13 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 6 of 523. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 72 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 13% of the words (861), men 87% (5,772). Women have 19% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.

Exhibit E: the test the other way

Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.

Conversations between two named characters

Two women

Two men

Exhibit F: behind the camera

5 of the 13 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 27% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Sean Durkin (man)
Written by: Sean Durkin (man)
Produced by: Tessa Ross (woman), Juliette Howell (woman), Angus Lamont (man), Sean Durkin (man), Derrin Schlesinger (woman)
Shot by: Mátyás Erdély (man)
Edited by: Matthew Hannam (man)
Music by: Richard Reed Parry (man)
Production design by: James Price (man)
Costumes by: Jennifer Starzyk (woman)
Cast by: Susan Shopmaker (woman)