Dead Man’s Wire, making its North American premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, is based on the real story of a 1977 kidnapping captured live on TV and broadcast on the radio.
Directed by Gus Van Sant, the film leverages archival footage, which it recreates, to retell the two-day span of the kidnapping, and its outcomes.
What is Dead Man’s Wire about?
In Dead Man’s Wire, Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) takes a stand against the Meridian Mortgage Company which has thwarted his plans to build a shopping mall for the people. He concocts a plan to kidnap the company’s president, Richard ‘Dick’ Hall (Dacre Montgomery), and subsequently force Hall’s father, Hall Sr (Al Pacino), to forgive his mortgage debt.
It’s a shocking plan, made all the more terrifying by Tony’s ingenuity. He builds a dead man’s wire that attaches a shotgun to Dick’s neck. Any sudden movements, and Dick will be killed. Tony is clearly skilled, dedicated, and desperate. He’s also not afraid of being seen—Tony has a message to share with the world and he takes every opportunity to do so. Because his plight isn’t unlike those of others in Kentucky, or in the US.
But the police are soon on the case, including a friend of Tony’s, Detective Michael Grable (an absolutely unrecognizable Cary Elwes). Other players will soon find themselves dragged into this saga, including up-and-coming TV reporter, Linda Page (Myha'la), and radio presenter Fred Temple (Colman Domingo).
As all of the US watches, Tony makes his case for the little guy and why they need to fight against the rich and powerful. But are his methods justified?
How does Dead Man’s Wire recreate history?
The action kicks off within minutes in Dead Man’s Wire. This is a high-octane film with crisp scenes, intercutting between multiple characters, and a heightened sense of danger and intrigue. The stakes are a man’s life, and another man’s soul. The audience at the premiere screening of TIFF was very involved, and understandably so. This film does not let up.
There’s also a surprising amount of humour in Dead Man’s Wire. Actual laugh-out-loud humor that had the audience hollering. Some of it was improvised on set by the actors, said Van Sant during the post-film Q&A. But Myha’la also added that they didn’t always know when they were being humorous—they were in the flow.
Writer Austin Kolodney did add that the challenge with incorporating humor was ensuring the film never took its foot off the pedal when ramping up the tension. Credit to Van Sant’s direction because, despite the unexpected laughs, the audience never forgets the stakes at hand.
Interjected in the narrative were several moments of realistic-looking interview footage. Dead Man’s Wire cinematographer Arnaud Potier used cameras from the '70s to shoot those documentary scenes and they really do look like videos from 1977. It gives the film an even greater sense of immediacy, with the audience of the film watching events unfold as the audiences within the film watch the same.
Interestingly, Van Sant said that Kolodney had included hyperlinks in the film script, pointing to recordings from the actual event. As those recordings were “embedded” in the script, Van Sant felt it was important to shoot those scenes for the film.
I cannot commend the pacing of Dead Man’s Wire enough. Even when it slows down to focus on the character moments, especially Dick and Tony’s interactions in Tony’s apartment, there’s always momentum in the scenes, propelling the story forward. Every conversation is meaningful without feeling like exposition.
How are the performances in Dead Man’s Wire?
There are some heavyweights in Dead Man’s Wire. Oscar-winner Al Pacino may not have the largest role, but he’s an inescapable presence. He plays the role of Hall Sr, a man so consumed by greed and image, he would sacrifice anything and everything for it. The role could have been played well by anyone, but Pacino brings the gravitas and the smarmy quality of a capitalist. He’s riveting to watch, even as you can’t help loathe Hall Sr.
Skarsgård looks like he’s having the time of his life. He’s equal parts terrifying, relatable, and hilarious. This film is a great showcase for his talent and I’m particularly impressed by how well he captured the mannerisms of the real Kiritsis, who was quite a bit older than him.
But I’m absolutely stunned by Dacre Montgomery. It’s a very unusual role for an up-and-comer like Montgomery. For a large part of the film, he’s got his head down, terrified of activating the dead man’s wire. Even when he’s sitting upright, he’s tied down and unable to do anything. His face has to do most of the work in this film. And he does an excellent job. There’s one particular scene, when he’s speaking to his father on the phone, that’s an absolute standout and the turning point for the plot. Excellent work from the actor.
I can’t not talk about Colman Domingo. I feel like he’s only just getting attention now, despite his long career. His role isn’t as brash as Rustin or as quiet as Sing Sing. As Temple, Domingo employs an almost-ASMR voice while the radio presenter is on-air, while adopting a more approachable and friendly demeanor in daily life. It gives the Temple character a sense of realism even as he’s thrust into these extraordinary circumstances. Also, I think we need to give Colman Domingo a radio channel to host. What a beautiful radio voice he has!
Will Dead Man’s Wire resonate with contemporary audiences?
Dead Man’s Wire is surprisingly hilarious and has excellent pacing. But as the film came to a close and the audience applauded, I found I didn’t know how to feel. Tony became a sort of folk hero to many in the US because he was fighting against a system that denied poor people their rights to property and to live their lives free of debt. But he resorted to violence to do it.
What he did is only a few steps short of Luigi Mangione’s murder of a health insurance CEO. Mangione is also being hailed as a hero, and a necessary one, considering the horrifying state of healthcare in the US. We’re also living in a world of so much violence, with multiple genocides being shared live on our phones. So why wasn’t I immediately applauding Tony, or denouncing him?
That is the one area where Dead Man’s Wire fails—its message. The film doesn’t show the audience that Tony isn’t the only one facing these problems. He says it many times but that aspect fails to land because the film was hyper-focused on the kidnapping.
While there are numerous shots of everyday Americans living and working while watching the kidnapping unfold, it’s unclear how they could benefit from Tony’s actions. And I’ll be completely honest, it isn’t terribly obvious what Tony’s grievances are. Do other people face these problems? Has there been systemic change since 1977? I’m really not sure. That’s why the message of the film doesn’t quite work for me.
But moral compunctions aside, Dead Man’s Wire is a riveting ride from start to finish. Every scene reveals tantalizing details that keep you hooked. The combination of nuanced writing and a clear vision for the direction make this film unmissable. The performances are subtle and real, understated in a way that could be easy to overlook. I can’t wait for more people to watch this thrilling film.
Dead Man’s Wire had its North American premiere at TIFF 2025.
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