AUTHOR’S NOTE: Additional contributions from Esperanza Cervantes.
R/Crime/Drama/Comedy/105 Mins
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Written by: Austin Kolodney
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Myha’la, Cary Elwes, John Robinson, Daniel R. Hill and Al Pacino
Review: If your movie kicks off with Colman Domingo as a smooth-talking radio DJ crooning through the speakers, you know you’re in for something special. Going into Dead Man’s Wire, we honestly had no idea what to expect. Going off from a short synopsis, we gathered it was about a man (Skarsgård) who takes a bank mortgager (Montgomery) hostage, demands millions of dollars, and wants an apology from the mortgage company’s boss (who just happens to be the hostage’s dad, played by Pacino). Since it’s based on a true story from 1977, we figured it’d be a heavy, serious drama, lots of dramatic performances, maybe a two to three-hour runtime. We couldn’t have been more wrong. And honestly? That’s exactly why we loved it.
In the film, the hostage Richard Hall, has a wire wrapped (hence the film’s title) around his neck that is connected to a shotgun. Held by his captor Tony Kiritsis, if he tries to run away or make any sudden movements, the gun will go off. The story is so captivating, you’re sitting up in your seat, glued to the screen, unable to move, like the wire is placed on you. It also follows three other parties involved in this situation. Fred Temple (Domingo), a radio DJ, who Kiritsis is a huge fan of, therefore Temple becomes the hostage negotiator. Linda Page (Myha’la), a puff piece news reporter who uses the crisis as a way to make it to prime time. Lastly, Tony’s Brother Jimmy (Hill) and his cooperation with the local police and FBI (including an UNRECOGNIZABLE Cary Elwes as a police detective.)
Dead Man’s Wire is a film that is telling this narrative over a short period of time, it has a constant “time is of the essence” urgency. There is no excess, only the meat of the story, which makes the film’s runtime fly by and consistently engaging and entertaining.
The aspect that immediately took us by surprise was the darkly comedic tone of the film. Written by Austin Kolodney, the dialogue pops off the page and has a unique flavor to it that evoked a feeling of a Shane Black script. Having Gus Van Sant shoot a young filmmaker’s screenplay, reminded of the other time he gave young creatives a chance. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon with their Academy Award-winning screenplay for Good Will Hunting. We hope for the same outcome with Dead Man’s Wire.
Skarsgård brings to Tony this weird, off-putting and unpredictable personality; a lot of the funniest moments are from how ridiculous he is. The keyword mentioned by everybody in the film regarding the crisis is “shitshow.” The way Tony handles this situation is carefully thought out but so insane, it baffles everyone. Tony Kiritsis and that word, shitshow, allows the film to be zany and off-the-wall but not turn the events of the film into a parody/satire. My partner felt like it was a 70’s SNL skit mixed with Law & Order. I partially agree with that sentiment because if no one told me it was based on a true story, I probably wouldn’t believe it.
Adding to the too crazy to be true narrative was Van Sant’s clever creative choice to switch from fictional news camera coverage and the actual news clips from 1977. Having them interspersed together in the same sequence, it blurs the line between fiction and reality. I also appreciated the heavy use of handheld shots. Having a camera move erratically to the action, it got you into the insane mindset of Tony. It also has a visual style that harkens back to those boiling point thrillers of the 70s, from the set design, to the music and cinematography.
Mostly everyone in this ensemble delivered with transformative roles that felt authentic to the time period. Colman Domingo is just charismatic as DJ Fred Temple, he has that comforting voice that is given the position to break the tension between Tony and the feds. Cary Elwes is in this movie. He’s in it a lot and if the end credits didn’t tell me that was him, I thought he was some character actor from smaller movies. He disappears into the role of Detective Michael Grable and is fantastic. Myha’la as news reporter Linda Page is fierce and ambitious. Her character is set on getting to primetime television going to any lengths to get the shot. I wish her character and her storyline was included and expanded a bit more. Al Pacino is M.L. Hall. Similar to some roles he’s been taking on recently, he isn’t given much to do, it felt more like an extended cameo and his lines fell flat. It’s a shame cause he’s a great actor, and I wanted him to flourish in this small role.
Now you’ll have to wait a bit to see Dead Man’s Wire in a theater. It pains me that I have to wait until January to see this gem of a comedy-thriller on a big screen again. I guess technically this is one of our favorite movies of 2026. And it’ll be yours too. Like what Al Pacino says in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: “WHAT A PICTURE!”
SCORE: 10/10
DEAD MAN’S WIRE IS IN THEATERS JANUARY 9TH 2026.
