Dead Man's Wire

Tony (Bill Skarsgård) holds Dick Hall (Dacre Mongomery) at gunpoint in Dead Man's Wire (Distributed by Row K Entertainment)

Dead Man’s Wire is a fascinating, in the moment, based-on-a-true-story thriller that is also of the moment. It is about a man who believes the deck has been stacked against him, driving him to drastic measures to get some restitution. It touches on class conflict, unscrupulous lending practices, the way the media sensationalizes stories for viewership, policing strategies and many people’s need to find a target to blame for their anger. It is a tight drama that sometimes seems to be poking fun at its protagonist and sometimes seems to sympathize with him. That makes sense. His plan is crazy and he is naïve to think it’ll end the way he expects. Yet his situation is depressingly relatable. He just wants to be listened to and respected.

He seems like a decent guy, broken by humiliation. Gus Van Sant never points out the parallels to our current times, focusing instead on the bizarre reality of the case (a lot of it was captured on camera). It is well-paced, captivating, occasionally humorous and kind of sad. It is good entertainment, doubling as a history lesson. The fact that it makes us consider how crimes are covered today, and how criminals get turned into instant, polarizing, celebrities, is the cherry on top of the sundae.

The setting is Indianapolis in February of 1977. Tony Kiritsis is pissed off. He had planned to lease a property he owned to be developed into affordable shopping. He feels like the mortgage broker screwed him over to get the property for cheap. Enraged and out of options, Tony hatches a scheme to kidnap the man’s son (who happens to be the company’s president), hold him hostage using a shotgun with a wire connected from the trigger to the man’s neck, and make it very public, so the people can hear his message. The resulting circus doesn’t go the way anyone wants.

As presented in Dead Man’s Wire (102 minutes, minus the end credits), Tony Kiritsis is a compelling figure. He makes some good points about how the playing field is heavily tilted in favor of corporations, making it exceedingly difficult for a working-class guy such as himself to have a chance. He also understands the importance of the court of public opinion. He thinks of himself as a man of the people, taking necessary action, no matter how extreme.

Al Pacino as M.L. Hall

This sounds thoughtful and he obviously put a lot of planning into the hostage situation. But then he begins ranting about how unfair the system is, swearing up a storm, and he sounds unhinged, totally incapable of making a coherent argument. He is foolish to think that the police would allow him to commit this act without consequence. He is convinced he has everything covered, though all they are looking for is an opportunity to shoot him. It is interesting because of how thoroughly he has deluded himself into believing that this is the way he comes out on top, getting all that he knows he deserves.

Bill Skarsgård is very good in the role, constantly in tune with Tony’s inconsistent mental state at any given time. His loose cannon nature is excellently contrasted by his antagonist, M.L. Hall, the head of the mortgage company, whose son has a shotgun to his head. Played by Al Pacino as a man accustomed to getting his way, M.L. is relaxing in Florida as his son’s life is at risk. He values pride and stoicism over anything else, seemingly willing to sacrifice his son so his company doesn’t have to admit fault. He is a perfect encapsulation of what Tony is railing against.

Those two, plus Colman Domingo as a local radio DJ Tony adores, give strong performances. However, this is a triumph of Gus Van Sant’s craft. This is his most plot-heavy movie in a long time. He marries that engaging story with its themes so well that it plays like a thriller, while being so much more. There is a lot going on in Dead Man’s Wire and not all of it connects smoothly. Yet enough of it does to make for a very worthwhile watch.

3¾ out of 5

Cast:

Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis

Dacre Montgomery as Richard ‘Dick’ Hall

Colman Domingo as Fred Temple

Al Pacino as M.L. Hall

Cary Elwes as Michael Grable

Myha’la as Linda Page

Directed by Gus Van Sant

Written by Austin Kolodney