Dead Man’s Wire

In February 1977, disgruntled businessman Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) stormed into the offices of a mortgage company he believed had cheated him. He took the boss’s son, Richard Hall (Stranger Things’ Dacre Montgomery), hostage and tied a shotgun around his neck with a “dead man’s wire” so that the gun would fire if Richard tried to run or if law enforcement attempted to intervene. News coverage turned Kiritsis into a local celebrity, with live footage of the situation being broadcast across Indianapolis. Screenwriter Austin Kolodney and director Gus Van Sant adapt these crazy events into Dead Man’s Wire, a darkly comedic crime thriller with a pulpy 70s flavour.

From the groovy opening soundtrack accompanied by the silky voice of radio DJ Fred Temple (Colman Domingo), who’s based on real-life radio personality Fred Hackman, this feature evokes the feel of classic genre affairs like Dog Day Afternoon. Alongside its period-accurate production design, complete with impressive facial hair, lingering handheld shots and stylised crash zooms capture the artifice of the era so well that this film looks like it could have been made in 1977.

Skarsgård is at the top of his game here. His performance radiates a manic intensity where he threatens to blow Richard’s head off in one scene before politely asking if he’d like ice in his glass of milk in the next. Montgomery is also excellent, acting appropriately traumatised throughout the ordeal, while Domingo brings an effortless air of charisma to the screen. Rounding out the cast is Al Pacino, giving his best Southern drawl as Richard’s father, who could not be less interested in his son’s plight.

The idea of someone being held at gunpoint during a live press conference would be ridiculous if it weren’t true. Van Sant leans into the outlandishness of what happened to inject a large serving of dark comedy, something which Skarsgård has a lot of fun with. Amongst this stranger-than-fiction tale, the feature serves as a commentary on sensationalism in the media and corporate accountability (all Tony wants is an earnest apology) that’s especially apt within our social media age.

Confidently carried by a tour-de-force performance by Skarsgård and featuring strong turns from the supporting cast, Van Sant delivers a brilliantly off-beat crime thriller that oozes style with Dead Man’s Wire. The result is a must-watch for genre fans.