Dead Man’s Wire tells the true story of Tony Kiritsis, Bill Skarsgård, who took Richard Hall, Dacre Montgomery, hostage on February 8th, 1977. Tony felt that Hall’s mortgage company, Meridian Mortgage, had swindled him out of land, and after 4 years of trying to make things right, he took matters into his own hands. Director Gus Van Sant consulted with Alan Berry and Mark Enochs, who had directed the documentary “Dead Man’s Line” about the same events, to bring this story to the big screen.

The movie immediately pulls you in from the opening scene. The amazing voice of DJ Fred Temple, Colman Domingo, greets the people of Indianapolis in the mornings, and this voice becomes an important part of the story. Tony walks into the offices of Meridian Mortgage to have a meeting with M.L. Hall, Al Pacino, but he is not available. Instead, his son, Richard, takes the meeting with Tony. You can see the hesitation in Tony’s eyes, but he goes through with his plan of trying himself and Richard to a shotgun that will go off if either of the men pull the wire.

We have seen films with this storyline before in Erin Brockovich, The Insider, and Michael Clayton. What we witness in Dead Man’s Wire, is that while this is a true story, it is hard to believe that it happened. Van Sant does a great job at balancing the humor and anger that is pent-up in Tony. Skarsgård is brilliant in seeming psychotic one minute and apologizing to his hostage the next. Tony does not want to hurt anyone, he just wants what is his and what is right. At times, Skarsgård looks like a younger Michael Shannon with the intensity he brings to the role.

The entire stand off is covered by television crews and at times you see what looks like archival footage mixed in with the footage of the actors. The coverage of this hostage situation changed how these types of stories were covered on the news. Due to the high emotions, Tony was cursing a lot and television stations were not prepared for his colorful language. There was also the fear that the gun could go off at any time, so that was a worry that the television stations had too. From the interviewing of eye witnesses to the coverage of the event itself, Tony’s situation was revolutionary in the way it was covered.

The stand off between Tony and the police lasted over 60 hours but there were moments when it seemed it would end sooner. In a conversation with M.L. Hall, Richard is almost pleading with his father to say and do the right thing so the entire situation can be over. M.L. reactions to these pleads make you sympathize for Richard and wish it was M.L. with the gun painted at his head and not Richard. The way money blinds those that have it to not see the struggles of those that do not have money is highlighted whenever we see M.L Hall. This is pretty evident when he is introduced and complaining about the food sent to him for his lunch. Purely despicable this man is.

One highlight of the cast is Cary Elwes, who plays Officer Michael Grable. Elwes is unrecognizable in this role as a cop who has been friends with Tony for years. Tony seems to know a lot of the officers on the force and some of them can not believe he is doing this. Again, Skarsgård‘s performance is spectacular and will hopefully be recognized come award season.

Final Thoughts: Dead Man’s Wire is a tense thriller that holds your attention due to the hard-to-believe story of Tony Kiritsis. Bill Skarsgård perfectly blends humor and determination that you are unsure of what his next move will be. The story of David vs Goliath has been told before but with the balancing act that Skarsgård plays within the role. Colman Domingo is so smooth in this movie that you want more of him. Dead Man’s Wire will have you glued to your seat to see how it turns out.

Violence: There is hardly any violence in the movie. Although Tony ties Richard up to his gun, he never beats or hurts Richard. Even in the final moments of the hostage situation, the resolution is not violent in nature. 

Kid-Friendly: Dead Man’s Wire highlights the inequities of those with money taking advantage of those without. Kids could learn an important lesson on how to treat others and hopefully never take drastic measures like Tony.

Based on a true story, the 1977 kidnapping of a prominent banker grips the nation and turns the abductor into an outlaw folk hero. As the media frenzy peaks, the standoff becomes a spectacle of desperation, defiance and blurred justice, which resonates even today.