‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Review: Gus Van Sant Crafts a Kinetic Dog Day Afternoon for Bill Skarsgård [B+] Venice

As he enters the office of Meridian Mortgages on a brisk February morning in 1977, Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) is visibly on edge, despite the tangible intensity behind his eyes, he treads lightly around all the employees, except for one. He greets the newly promoted ex-receptionist with, “Good to see you, Barb, you were always nice to me.”, and that’s when it clicks for the first time, that Kiritsis is not a man who feels wronged by the world at large, but by the elites who command it. In his first film for the better part of a decade, director Gus Van Sant, who has been behind cult classics such as Good Will Hunting and My Own Private Idaho, turns to a real-life kidnapping case from nearly 50 years ago that shares an eerie pertinence to modern day. 

To his dismay, Tony’s meeting with his mortgage firm’s head, M.L. Hall (Al Pacino), is replaced by the presence of his son, Richard “Dick” Hall (Dacre Montgomery), the second-in-command, while his father lounges on sunbeds and devours burritos on vacation. Inside a private office, Tony pivots his plan, unsheathing a contraption he calls the ‘dead man’s wire’ from an unassuming cardboard box of architectural drawings. The device consists of two malleable loops of wire, one which he laces around Richard’s neck, the other around his own, with nothing but the barrel of a shotgun positioned in between their two racing minds. Any sudden movement from either the kidnapper or kidnapee would send a bullet hurtling through the base of Richard’s skull. 

His motive is crystal clear. Convinced that Richard and his father sabotaged his chance to develop a shopping center on a prime plot of land, cheating him out of his future as a real estate developer, Tony demands five million dollars in compensation and, most importantly, a sincere apology. Shadowed by a convoy of law enforcement officers and news reporters, he seizes a police car and drives his hostage back to his modest home. There, over the course of sixty-three tense hours, negotiations unfold to secure Hall’s release and to reckon with the demands of his captor.

Dead Man’s Wire marks the feature debut of writer Austin Kolodney. Over the years, Kolodney has fashioned comedy shorts for outlets such as Funny or Die and Comedy Central, experience that proves surprisingly well-suited to this story. For an inaugural script, the result is exceedingly measured, counterbalancing every ounce of true crime drama with riveting dark humour. It doesn’t feel as though it leans towards any bias, as it presents both the raw empathy and narcissism within its characters, while simultaneously leaving room for the audience to absorb all the psychological facets unveiled before them. 

Bill Skarsgård has nothing left to prove. He is a talent that possesses such a vast range and stout creative intellect, with his turn as Tony Kiritisis being no exception. Not that he isn’t sublime in roles where he is covered in prosthetics, but it’s a real treat to see his face unrestricted and all the intricacies that come with his performance. You get the sense that he really understands what’s going on inside the character’s convoluted mind, which sways between self-assuredness and slight remorse, instead of defaulting to something that is far more unvaried. It’s a performance that deserves to be lauded, but due to his consistent form, may fly under the radar. 

This film is packed to the brim with supporting performances that capture the intricacies of the era and contribute meaningfully to the authenticity Van Sant strives to achieve through his intertwining of cinematic and terrestrial broadcast styles. Among them is the ensemble of news reporters spearheaded by Myha’la, who feels natural as Linda, an up-and-coming journalist seizing the situation to advance her career.

It comes as no surprise that Colman Domingo proves an eminent asset, embodying a smooth-voiced local radio host who unexpectedly becomes a pawn in the negotiation proceedings. Yet the penultimate, and perhaps most crucial, performance comes from Dacre Montgomery. Given that he and Tony spend nearly every waking moment tethered by the neck, there needed to be a coolness to Richard that could foil Tony’s manic energy. Montgomery delivers, never faltering, even under the weight of a questionable wig.As a finished product, Dead Man’s Wire is as cohesive as it is entertaining, revealing a deeper character study with each passing minute. Van Sant conducts the retro chaos with a steady hand and a clear loyalty to Kolodney’s well-grounded, no-frills script. The intentional authenticity within the sector of craft makes it feel as though you’re glued to a vintage television set, watching the events play out in real time. As a story, it may not be entirely groundbreaking, but by the time the credits roll, what lingers are the compelling performances and the film’s keen inquiry into power, ego, and injustice.

Grade: B+

This review is from the 2025 Venice Film Festival where Dead Man’s Wire world premiered out of competition. The film will next screen at the Toronto International Film Festival but there is no U.S. distribution at this.