Movie Review: ‘Dead Man’s Wire’

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Review by James Lindorf

The incident that began on February 8th, 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana, has captured the minds of historians, lawmakers, and artists for nearly 50 years. In that time, there has been a Pulitzer Prize award for journalism and several books, documentaries, and podcasts that covered the topic. It was actually one of those podcasts that got the attention of screenwriter Austin Kolodney in 2020. Fascinated by the story, Kolodney reached out to Directors and documentarians Alan Berry and Mark Enochs to help him gather as much information as possible for his telling. It has taken a number of years to reach the screen, but in that time, it was attached to exciting creators like Werner Herzog and Academy Award winner Nicholas Cage. The final product, “Dead Man’s Wire,” ended up in the hands of Row K Entertainment and Director Gus Van Sant and will open in theaters around the country on January 16th.

On Tuesday, February 8th, 1977, Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård, IT) entered the offices of Meridian Mortgage Company. Tony had a meeting scheduled with owner M.L. Hall (Al Pacino), but M.L. decided to take an unannounced vacation at the last minute, leaving his son Richard (Dacre Montgomery, Stranger Things) to handle Tony’s complaint. Once alone in their office, Tony corners Richard, holding him at gunpoint while constructing an apparatus that wires the muzzle of a sawed-off shotgun to the back of Richard’s head. If the police shoot Tony, causing him to lose control of the weapon, or if Richard tries to escape, the dead man’s wire would cause the gun to fire. Tony isn’t out to make the Halls suffer or get free money, he is out to prove a point and to do that his first step was to notify the police including Detective Michael Grable (Cary Elwes, Saw) and Chief Gallagher (Todd Gable, Lifeforms) as well as his favorite radio host Fred Temple (Coleman Domingo, Rustin) of what he is doing. What follows is a nearly three-day standoff between Tony, the local police, the FBI, and the Halls that ends with one life-altering gunshot.

It was surprising to learn that what Tony Kiritsis did over those few days wasn’t a footnote to history but a well-covered topic with significant real-world impact far beyond those directly involved. I have lived in Indiana for the vast majority of my life and in the Indianapolis area for 15 years, and this is the first I have ever heard of it. It was great to be exposed to this bit of local trivia, even if, thanks to some sizable tax incentives, the film was actually shot in nearby Kentucky. While locals may be able to tell one Midwest city from another, it doesn’t really impact the story, and the excellent work of the set and costume designers pulls you into the late 70s era.

The real strength of the film lies in its lead, Bill Skarsgård. His consistent greatness, while Kiritsis flits from one emotional state to another, is captivating. You hate him, you root for him, you wonder about his mental health throughout the film, and sometimes you’ll have multiple reactions in the same scene. Montgomery is solid as the second-leading actor, but Richard isn’t given much to do compared to traditional hostage movies. One of the film’s weakest elements is Pacino’s performance. He was probably only on “set” for a day or two and gave minimal effort while there. He isn’t ruinous, but there was a chance for him to be a big, brash, bullish father and one percenter, and he never rises to the occasion.

“Dead Man’s Wire” is wonderfully offbeat, with its dark humor and influences of modern classicism. While its runtime is only 105 minutes, it suffers from an extended second act. During the setup and climax, it is running on all cylinders. Still, instead of being about 70 combined minutes, it’s closer to 30, maybe 40, leaving the remainder for the 2nd act and a never-ending series of phone calls. Thankfully, Skarsgård is there shepherding us through it all and almost single-handedly carrying the film to a 4 out of 5.

Rating: R (Language Throughout)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Release Date (Theaters): January 16th, 2026
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenwriter: Austin Kolodney
Producer: Noor Alfallah, Remi Alfallah, Mark Amin, Andrea Bucko, Gordon Clark, Tom Culliver, Cassian Elwes, Billy Hines
Distributor: Row K Entertainment
Production Co: Pressman Film, Elevated Films (II)