‘Dead Man’s Wire’: Bill Skarsgård Is Hellbent on Justice in Gus Van Sant’s 1970s-Style True Crime Thriller

Sandra Miska

For his first feature in eight years, director Gus Van Sant found inspiration in a 1977 true crime story that feels as relevant as ever in our age of controversial individuals like Luigi Mangione. In “Dead Man’s Wire,” Bill Skarsgård seems to be channeling Michael Shannon to bring to life Tony Kiritsis, an Indianapolis man who resorts to drastic measures to right what he perceives as a major wrong done to him by the fat cat owner of Meridian Mortgage Company, M.L. Hall (Al Pacino). Pacino’s appearance here is a nod to “Dog Day Afternoon,” and while this film never reaches the dramatic or emotional heights of Sidney Lumet’s bank robbery classic, it similarly illuminates the plight of the angry little guy up against a rigged system, and the result is a thrilling, thought-provoking, and even humorous movie for our turbulent times.

Van Sant, working from a screenplay by Austin Kolodney, jumps right into it, as there is little setup before Tony arrives at Hall’s office. With M.L. away sunning himself in Florida, he targets his more mild-mannered son, executive Richard (Darce Montgomery), taking the man hostage by tying around his neck a “a dead man’s wire,” attached to a sawed-off shotgun. If Richard attempts to escape or anyone tries to save him, he will instantly be killed. Bit by bit, we learn of Tony’s backstory. He blames Meridian for sabotaging his real estate investment, and wants restitution. He is so confident of his plan, that he calls the police himself, and the officers, including Detective Mike Grable (Cary Elwes), an acquaintance of Tony’s, helplessly stand by as he steals one of their cars and takes his hostage back to his apartment.

While Tony certainly has some legitimate grievances, Van Sant, Kolodney and Skarsgård do not go overboard trying to make the man out to be a hero. He is plagued by delusions, and his ego becomes more and more inflated as his 15 minutes go on. What the filmmakers do well here is examine Tony through the eyes of others and investigate how a story like his played out in the days before the internet and a 24-hour news cycle. There were no phones with cameras in 1977, but luckily for the attention-seeking Tony, a hungry young local news reporter, Linda Page (Myha’la), spots his showdown with the cops and works fast to follow the story. If anything positive comes out of his crime, it is that Linda, a Black woman, finally gets the break she needs to prove herself to her arrogant white colleagues.

With no social media sites for Tony to post his manifesto on, he turns to local radio DJ Fred Temple (a wonderful Colman Domingo) to play his tape. Tony has a lot of faith in the baritone-voiced Fred, and he in turns comes to relish his role as de facto therapist to the mad men, playing an almost a fatherly role during their phone conversations; it is an odd relationship that is played for comic effect at the right moments. As for Richard, he also tries to tap into Tony’s humanity, but for him it is about survival. In the film’s most wickedly funny/sad scene, Richard gets to call his dear old dad, who becomes indignant when asked to apologize to Tony. He puts his own ego and reputation above his son’s life.

If you are not already familiar with Kiritis’ story, you may think you know how “Dead Man’s Wire” ends, but you probably do not. Van Sant keeps the viewer guessing, and he follows the story long after the climax. Even years after most people have forgotten about Tony, interesting developments transpire.

 “Dead Man’s Wire” releases Jan. 9 in select theaters, Jan. 16 nationwide.